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from-a-reckless-writer · 3 years

Text

iv. couch.

read on ao3

To Lena: r u busy??? U didnt answer my calls. Dinner later?

To Lena: my place.

To Lena: Or yours! Can totally go to urs. If u want.

To Lena: Lena????

To Lena: where are u??

To Lena: Answer my calls

To Lena: Pls?

Kara rounds the corner of her hallway, keys bitten, dangling from her lips, as she types with both hands. Her 67th text message of the day to an MIA Lena Luthor sent. She fails to notice the creature lurking around the front of her door; dark fur shining under the cheap LED lights of Kara’s corridor.

She’s still deeply absorbed in her phone with worry, in the middle of jamming her keys in with one hand, when something furry brushes against her legs and Kara yelps.

She pulls the knob clean out of the wood in shock, her phone dropping to the floor loudly, the cat doing a duet with her with a startled yowl of her own.

Heart hammering and adrenaline racing, Kara looks down and sees the cat for the first time.

“Oh! Oh!” she gasps, “I didn’t see you there, buddy. I’m sorry for startling you!! I didn’t mean it.”

The door knob clatters loudly to the ground as it falls out of her grasp. And Kara sheepishly feels guilty for the hole in her door. But the cat meows loudly, catching her attention, as if in response to her apology.

She crouches down low, and reaches out a hand to touch the furball. She snaps a quick pic, sends it to Lena and pockets her phone.

To Lena: KITTY!!

“Oh, oh come here,” she coos, “where’s your collar? How’d you get here huh?”

The cat reminds her of Streaky. The first stray who ever took to her kindly. Although upon closer inspection, Kara realizes this one has striking emeralds for eyes, Streaky’s eyes were a more softer blue.

The cat surprisingly seems friendly, immediately leaning into Kara’s touch. Nosing at the inside of Kara’s wrist and it’s such a familiar gesture but she can’t seem to remember why.

And...oh, a small rumbling echoes through Kara’s palm!

Oh, they’re purring!

Kara doesn’t know how long she stays there crouched low exactly, but eventually, she stands up, takes her hand away, and picks up the damaged doorknob.

“Well, time for you to go home now, buddy,” she tells them, giving their head one last pat before dusting off her hands on her jacket.

“Go on, shooo. Shoo. Go home. I’m sure your human is looking for you.”

But the cat remains unmoving. It looks like they’ve decided to sit firmly in front of Kara’s doorstep, casually licking a paw, as if waiting for Kara to open her door.

“Are you actually waiting for me to open my door?” Kara makes a mental note to thank Rao that none of her neighbors can see her trying to hold a proper conversation with a cat.

“Look, kitty,” she says firmly, “I’m not your human.”

The cat just blinks owlishly at her. Eyes too green, too intelligent and-

Kara makes up her mind.

She turns her face skywards, takes a deep breath (This will probably backfire, she already knows. But she's always had a soft spot for strays.) and then she pushes her door wide open.

The cat races inside, cutting through Kara’s legs and almost tripping her.

“Well, somebody’s excited,” Kara mutters under her breath, she watches the cat head for her living room couch; watches as they pause all of a sudden, changes course and jumps onto Kara’s coffee table instead.

Where the cat then proceeds to knock down everything in close vicinity, even the picture frame of her and Lena together.

“Hey! No! Bad kitty-”

But the cat is already hopping down from her pedestal, landing on the frame directly.

And then things get weird.

The cat proceeds to stomp all over it, meows loud, like really loud; insanely loud for a cat their size.

Her paw seems to be almost pointing? At the other person in the frame.

“I-” Kara seems taken aback by the bizarre behavior, sure she knows cats are vastly different from dogs, but this…

This is just weird.

The cat’s meowing only seems to get louder.

How you land yourselves in these situations, Kara. I really just don’t know, at this point. She can almost hear Alex say.

“What are you- Are you- are you pointing? That’s- That’s Lena, yeah. That’s my best friend.”

At that, the cat seems to vibrate. They start clawing at Kara’s pant leg, meowing and meowing and meowing—

And then it hits her.

"-but it turns out that she’s a witch. And apparently, so am I."

The green, green eyes.

A pink nose nuzzling against her wrist.

“Lena?”

******

“Oh, Rao! Lena you’re a cat! What happened?! Oh, no, baby what did you do?”

Lena-

Lena The Cat—and okay, so she’s still wrapping her head around that one—just stays silent. She’s sitting on her lap, looking regal than any cat has any right to be. A judgmental look in her eyes.

Lena’s a cat. Cat’s can’t speak. Can’t answer Kara’s questions.

“Right. Sorry. Only meow,” Kara murmurs, embarrassed. For some reason even in cat form Lena manages to be intimidating.

“Okay so, uh d-does that mean you still understand me? Two meows for yes. One meow for no.”

Kara gets two meows.

“Okay, cool, cool. Great. You can still understand me, that's good.” Kara runs a hand down her spine, “Gosh, your fur is just so soft.”

She hears Lena give a small growl, body tensing, “Right. Right. Sorry. Not the time for pets.” Kara retracts her hand away.

“Uhm, so next question then, I guess? D-did you become a cat this morning? Were you testing out your uhm...gift?”

Lena meows twice. Kara nods, clenching and unclenching her fist underneath her chin. Fingers itching to run themselves through Lena’s soft fur again. Lena seems to sense this, and nuzzles her face into Kara’s hand, bumps against her repeatedly.

“Really?” Kara double-checks, giddy. If she were human Kara bets Lena would be rolling her eyes like she always does when Kara does something particularly dorky, but she just pushes her head firmer against Kara’s hand and meows twice.

“So uhm,” she starts, cautiously, noting Lena’s increasing purr, “is there like a spellbook for this or something? Something that can help you transform back?

Lena meows yes.

“Is it in The Tower or back at your place?”

There are no responses.

“Sorry, sorry lemme rephrase, is it in The Tower?”

She gets two consecutive meows.

Okay, to The Tower it is.

******

“Are you going to tell me why you’re cradling a cat in your cape or??” Alex raises a brow at her, a hand on her hip, left foot tapping impatiently. Her sister was heading out for the day, it looks like. It was just tough luck that Supergirl landed one minute before the elevator took Alex.

Crap. Now they have to explain. They didn’t talk about this. Lena still hasn’t told her if it was okay to tell people about her gift.

“I-I rescued it,” Kara says.

Well, that isn’t so far from the truth, right? She stares at the bundle in her arms, Lena the traitor staying silent all the while—green eyes shining all innocent at Kara.

Alex’s stares intensifies.

“From a tree,” Kara flounders, and Lena The Cat has the audacity to yawn, squirm and jump away from her arms. She lands gracefully, tail swishing up in the air and heads straight for the lab.

Alex eyes the cat suspiciously before turning back to Kara. She jabs a finger to her chest. “It better not have any fleas. It better not touch my training mat.”

“She won’t.”

Alex just shakes her head, rolls her eyes, grabs her helmet and walks to the elevator.

Before she goes though, Alex says, “You know, this is gonna sound weird, but I swear I think I saw that same cat slinking out of The Tower earlier this morning.”

“Alex, she’s literally a black cat. There are hundreds of black cats in the city.”

“You're being weirdly defensive about this. Why are you being weird?”

“I’m not.”

Alex seems like she wants to say more, but the elevator dings, and she’s never been more grateful that Kelly makes Alex pick her up from work. Alex huffs out breath, before conceding and disappearing into the lift.

******

The camera flash is what gets Kara busted.

But is it really her fault if she walked in on a cute kitty, hunched over, meowing adorably, trying to flip over the pages of a thick spellbook, with her teeny-tiny bean paws?

Lena hisses at her, teeth-bared and fur puffy.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. But you were just really, really, really cute okay?” She walks closer to the desk, carefully lifts a hand and scratches Lena behind the ear.

The hissing slowly devolves into purring, and Kara grins triumphantly. Lena lets herself be picked up after a few moments, Kara leafing through the pages for her.

“So, found anything yet?” She asks, cradling Lena close to her chest. A warm weight on Kara’s arms, and as much as she wants to get her real Lena back, she also isn’t too eager on giving up this version anytime soon. Then again, Kara thinks, it would be impossible for her to give up any version of Lena Luthor.

“Spell? Charm? Anything? Do you need to make a potion? Are we gonna get to make a potion? Oh, oh do you need a wand? Do you have a wa-”

Kara’s words get muffled as two black paws press against her lips. Lena’s green eyes narrowing at her. She meows at Kara. Loudly.

“Mkay, mkay. Shut up. Got it.”

Lena removes her paws, and Kara makes a gesture of zipping her lips together. This seems to appease Lena enough because the next second, a pink tongue darts out and she...licks Kara's nose.

“Did you- did you just lick me?” Kara gasps out.

Lena doesn’t even acknowledge her with a meow, just turns away and jumps out of her arms again. Before Kara can do anything about it though, her phone rings.

The screen lighting up with Andrea’s name.

“Danvers, I’ve got a story for you.”

******

“Alex, please, I’ll be quick. I promise. I’ll only be three hours at the most. Please just look after her,” she pleads, pouting and puppy eyes in full power.

It also helps that the cat burrito in her cape looks to be cooperating. Lena The Cat staring at Alex with wide round eyes.

Apparently, some governor was found dead downtown, and now Andrea wants her on the scene. She can’t just leave Lena all alone in The Tower. No matter how hard Lena’s been protesting, this is brand new territory for both of them. Nobody knows the extent of Lena’s powers.

Point is, Kara would feel a lot better if she were to leave Lena under the care of someone she trusts. Even if said someone, accuses Lena of being a stray with fleas. It's still better than leaving Lena all on her own.

“Ugh.” Alex groans and Kara knows she’s won. “If this cat causes trouble I will throw it out the window, Kara.”

“No!” Kara yells, distressed. “Don’t do that. She’ll behave. She promises.”

She puts her hand under Lena’s arms and raises her up to eye level—Simba style. “You promise to be good for Alex, don’t you?”

All she gets is a lot of squirming and screaming, there were also a lot of attempts at scratching Kara’s nose.

“See?” Kara says, chuckling nervously. “She’s telling you she’s good.”

Alex looks skeptical, her arms crossed against her chest.

Kara sets her down on the couch, and crouches down low.

She tries to pet her head, but Lena bites at her finger, she catches her teeth on the skin of her supersuit’s thumb slot. She bites deeper, her teeth accomplishing nothing but a few dents.

And oh, Rao she thinks she’s such a feral little cat but her pink adorable gummy snarl says otherwise.

“I’m sorry, I’ll be back. I promise,” she whispers, careful not to let Alex hear. “And then we’ll figure it out later, okay? The safest place for you right now is to be with Alex.”

She really doesn’t want to go, and based on Lena’s protests she doesn’t want Kara to go either. But well, Andrea had finally threatened to fire her if she disobeyed...which is...fair.

She’s aware she’s been doing a less than stellar job at being a journalist lately. Rao, what an understatement. This is basically her make it or break it.

“Look, I’ll be quick, promise. Be good to Alex,” Kara murmurs. She presses a kiss on Lena’s furry forehead. Lena finally unclenches her jaw and lets Kara go. The little whine she lets out, letting Kara know that she knows the battle’s lost.

“Both of you, be good,” Kara tells them sternly. “Alex, please don’t yeet my cat out of the window.”

Alex shrugs, staring at the cat with suspicion. “I make no promises.’

Lena is staring at Alex just as hostile. Great. They both deserve each other.

Kara sighs exasperatedly. Well, at least she tried.

******

She gets a very angry Alex Danvers on the line, right after she’s finished talking to some sources. It’s nighttime now, and when she checks her watch—yep, she’s left Lena in Alex’s care for more than six hours.

Crap.

“Hey, Al—”

“KARA IF YOU DON’T PICK UP THIS THIS THIS GODDAMNED HAIRBALL RIGHT NOW, YOU WILL NEVER SEE IT EVER AGAIN.”

There is loud meowing, and then, “What the- Get off! Get off me right no-”

The line clicks dead.

Kara Danvers quickly changes into an alley, manages to break the sound barrier.

******

It’s Kelly who opens the door.

“Hey, Kara,” she greets her. Kara is impatiently rocking on her heels, trying to peer past Kelly’s shoulders.

The place was quiet; ridiculously quiet, and Kara feels fear swoop in her belly.

“Please, tell me my cat is still alive,” Kara bursts out, Kelly just gives her a pained smile and oh, no, oh no.

She muscles her way past Kelly to a brooding Alex on the couch.

Lena is nowhere to be seen.

“Alex, Alex where’s my cat? Where is she? Where did you put her?”

Alex finally looks up at her, Kara taking notice of the red marks on her arm.

Oh no, Lena, what did you do?

“Calm down, I didn’t throw the little demon away. She’s-" Alex sing-songs before finishing, "on time-out.”

“Time-out?” Kara asks, voice shaking. Rao, does she really want to know.

Alex takes too long to answer, taking a swig of her beer first before pointing to a corner in the living room.

And there, she spots it.

It, being a small pile of laundry on the floor, next to an upside down hamper. A big white hamper housing one Lena Luthor. There's a crude cardboard sign stuck on it; "Kitty Jail". Alex has also stacked a few encyclopedia on top of it, no doubt an attempt to keep Lena from escaping.

“Oh! Oh, Lena!”

Kara superspeeds her way and scoops Lena up, the cat meowing immediately and curling into Kara’s chest.

“You named the cat after Lena?!”

Crap.

Kara turns around slowly, “Uhm yeah?”

Alex just shakes her head. “Unbelievable.”

“Her eyes reminded me of Lena, okay?!” Kara yells defensively, pressing tiny kisses onto Lena’s fur.

“I’m sorry that Alex has been such a meanie to you," she coos, "I know you didn’t deserve it, baby."

Alex seems to perk up at that, because she raises up from the couch. “That,” Alex jabs a finger in their direction, Kara cradles Lena protectively, “That baby ruined my couch and she so totally deserves all the mean! All the mean in the world, Kara!”

Lena hisses in her arms.

“No, no. That’s not true. Lena is baby and she’s perfect and you’re just a meanie.”

“She ruined my upholstery! She left hair all over the place and that’s not even to mention the scratching!”

“Because you were mean to her!”

Alex scoffs, eyes bulging wide in disbelief.

“Get out,” Alex says, her brows pinching comically, “Get out of my apartment before that little devil causes more damage.”

“Gladly,” Kara says, and Lena meows her assent. They make their way past Alex, Kara unaware that Lena has stuck out her little tongue at Alex over her shoulder.

“And she’s not a little devil!” Kara calls out.

Alex slams the door in her face.

******

That evening, Kara pores over a thick spellbook, eyes swimming with Latin symbols with a purring machine on her lap.

By midnight, Kara has managed to pass out on her couch, a black cat curled on her chest.

The spellbook lay open on her coffee table, forgotten.

******

The first sight that greets Kara when she wakes up are green eyes.

Green human eyes.

And then it hits her.

“Lena!”

The spell had blessedly wore off by morning, and Kara’s never been more glad to see the sunlight lighting up Lena’s face.

For a moment, Kara’s assaulted with the mental image of laying in a pool of sunlight with a black cat stretching leisurely next to her.

“Good morning,” Lena purrs, and oh Rao, that sound is much, much better than her meowing.

“You’re back!” Kara gasps in awe.

“I’m back,” she whispers, she’s still draped fully over Kara on the couch. A blanket covering them both.

“Rao, I missed you.” A palm comes up to cup her cheeks, Lena automatically nuzzling into the inside of her wrist.

“Mm, I missed me, too,” Lena tells her, face breaking into a small smile. Kara traces her fingers up and down Lena’s spine. Oh, how she’s missed touching Lena’s skin.

Wait-

Skin.

Is she-

“Lena,” Kara begins, swallowing. Her nerves not going unnoticed.

Lena raises a brow at her. “Kara?”

“Are you- uhm- ah. Are you naked right now?”

Lena’s eyes light up like a cat’s and Kara knows she’s in trouble.

“Mm. It seems that I am,” Lena says, and all Kara can do is gulp.

“What are you gonna do about it?”

special shoutout to @mike-wachowski, @sexybread-png and @thebreakfastgod for their cat expertise without whom this silly little fic would not be written.

#catto!lena #COME GET YOUR CATTO!LENA CONTENT HERE!#I AM WELL AWARE HOW SELF-INDULGENT THIS IS AND HOW MILES AWAY IT IS FROM THE PROMPT BUT YEAH #oh oh and p.s yes they did have sex on that couch right after.#supercorptober 2021 #the reckless writer writes #a supercorp ficlet of sorts #if u see a typo no u didnt #supercorp

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mxpseudonym · 4 years

Text

Just Good Business III

Pairing: Tommy x Reader

Reader Gender Expression: She/Her pronouns, “wife”

Summary: Reminding Tommy that he didn’t marry a fool was the greatest thing to happen to your bedroom.

Length: 1650 words (allegedly)

Warnings: 18+, sex, hints of rough sex, cursing, and as usual, underlying tones of forced/arranged marriage

A/N: There’s a forehead kiss and a sprinkling of Dom!Tommy in here for your patience! I am pretty sure I’m going to have this be a total of five parts. Part IV may not come right away because I’m in the middle of a WIP though.

Part I | Part II | Part IV

Reminding Tommy that he hadn't married a fool set several things in motion. First and foremost, you and Polly managed to successfully persuade your husband into conducting family business, not that it was hard. You knew London quite well, and one glance at the Eden Club's books had you asking Arthur if he could count to ten. Much of the above-board dealings in London were now your responsibility- properties, charities, and a social life that allowed you to see your friends more often.

Unfortunately, this meant regularly making the trip to Birmingham for the family meetings you'd been avoiding. It wasn't so much the meetings as it was Birmingham itself. One has no great hopes of Birmingham, as they say. However, there was a significant consolation that made it all worth it.

Tommy Shelby, in action, turned you on.

Actually, it was one of many things about Tommy that turned you on. With Tommy's guilt out of the way, you saw him around the house more. He came to bed, albeit late, nearly every night, and you got at least two breakfasts out of him a week. Along with finding that Tommy was much funnier than he let on when he wasn't talking about work, you also noticed that you had much in common. Tommy was as stubborn and prideful as you were. After six months, you still credited happenings between you with a desire to conduct good business- and business was excellent. Stubbornness, pride, your appetite for adventure, and Tommy's addiction to risk resulted in one shameless, exciting sex life.

You'd had partners before. Why deny yourself the world's physical pleasures? But while none could keep up with your desire to find and push boundaries, Tommy had mastered it. You thought you'd have to ease him into it, but it really just took you asking, "What are you going to do, Thomas? Spank me?" while bickering to get you on the same page.

Not that Tommy wasn't enjoying himself as well. He'd met his match in his back talking, neck biting, hair pulling new wife he could hardly bring himself to say no to. What was coming to work late more often or your hands down his trousers while driving the Bentley in the grand scheme of things?

So at the Birmingham family meetings, there was something about the way he was no-nonsense when he firmly told you where to sit and give updates when asked. If you were both being honest, while you loved taking orders from Tommy in the bedroom sometimes, you were on the fast track to giving them too. For now, you watched with thighs pressed together, and bottom lip pulled between teeth as he commanded the room.

After Arthur wrapped up the meeting, you'd meant to mingle with your sister in law, but were quickly distracted. Ada didn't need to follow your gaze to know what was stopping you from listening to a word she said.

"Good god, stop staring at my brother like that," Ada pleaded. You looked at her only long enough to say,

"I almost wish I could say I was sorry." You had just caught Tommy's eye and smiled. "He can be quite good looking."

"Ugh, okay, he's coming over here. I'm going to find Finn," Ada scoffed, then all but ran away only to have Tommy replace her.

"Can I help you?" he asked, amusement evident in his voice. You chuckled and looked up at him.

"You're already spoiling me, Mr. Shelby. What more could I ask for?"

"I'm sure you have a list," Tommy said. You plucked his cigarette from between his fingers and took a pull.

"As a matter of fact, I do."

"Should I make you beg for it?"

"I don't beg," you said, defiant as ever. Tommy rolled his eyes but moved closer. You could feel the warmth of his wool suit, and it matched the heat that was rising to your cheeks.

"Then what do you call what you were doing the other day in my office?" Tommy asked. You thought for a moment then smirked.

"Minding my manners. Please and thank you, Sir," you said, making him laugh.

"Oi, stop flirting on come on," John yelled in partial disgust from where the family was gathering near the door.

"Yeah, yeah, we're coming," you shooed him. You gave Tommy a knowing look as you grabbed your bag to join the group at the Garrison.

"Gonna tell me not to get any ideas?" He asked.

"Of course not. Get as many ideas as you can from here to that pub." You pointed a stern finger at him.

"Yes, ma'am."

Tommy had long given up trying to get a grasp on what to expect from you.

"God only knows what's going on up there," he'd say while tapping your temple.

But nothing surprised him more than your absolute willingness to have him any time, anywhere.

"Skirts hike up for a reason, Thomas," You once told him in the stables. Tommy had yet to find a good enough argument against that, so here you were, shushing him through breathy laughs as he almost tumbled into you.

It was a busy night at the Garrison, and it wasn't hard to leave your group to find the back room. Now you were pressed up against a shelf that wasn't nearly sturdy enough. Tommy's pants were unbuckled in a hasty moment, and your knickers were pulled aside, and you were both stifling your moans.

"Oh god, fuck, Tommy, how do you always feel so good?" You asked, your grip already in his hair. He groaned at the question and thrust deeper.

"You're the one always warm and wet for me, aren't you?" He squeezed the flesh of your bottom, making you moan. He quickly relocated you further into the dark and onto a crate. "Such a naughty little thing I've got on my hands."

"Just the way you like it." You bit his ear as you played with fire. His thrusts got hard and deep, earning more high pitched moans from you until he pressed a hand over your mouth. He kept his grip firm, just how you liked and spoke in your ear.

"I'm giving you what you asked for with all of these people just out there. Do you want them to hear you?" He leaned back to see you nod. Of course, you did. Tommy shook his head as he chuckled. By the sound of your yearning moan, he just knew you were pouting beneath his palm.

"I know love, but when we get home, you can be as loud as you want. You can let the maids hear you, what was it? Minding your manners for me. How's that sound?" You accepted his counteroffer with a nod and was rewarded with Tommy moving his hand. He relished in the smeared lipstick that was now on your chin before adjusting his grip on you.

"Now, be good, and stay quiet for me."

Tommy had to give you credit for carrying out your version of quiet. You forfeited your usual words of encouragement and panted hotly in his ears, a whimper or moan periodically coming forth.

"Tom," You pleaded his name under your breath. His grip tightened around your waist, and you knew it would bruise, which only shoved you that much closer to the edge.

"That's a good girl," he praised you, knowing what it did to you. In this case, it made your thighs tighten around him. "So good, you can tell me where you want it. Should I make you walk around with me all over your face?"

He felt you shiver and swallow a moan that came out like a sob. His thumb reached between them, and it only took a few circles of your clit to send you over.

"Oh fuck," You bucked against him as you came. Tommy's eyes squeezed close while you kissed his neck. It was truly incredible, you had to admit. You knew he was close and you had to decide. "In me."

"In you?" He repeated, not fully registering anything as he got closer.

"I want you in me, Tom. Please," you said again. You kissed him, then pulled back to look in his eyes. "I'm begging you."

You loved watching him come undone. Even in the low light, you took in his parted lips, creased brow, and flushed cheeks. He rested his forehead against yours for a moment before you pulled away and began putting yourselves back together.

"I'm excited to go home if you keep your word," you said, leaning against the crate while Tommy pulled out a cigarette.

You quietly smoked and thought about how strange this was. Before it was sprung on you, being married was something you hadn't expected anytime soon. Being married to someone you actually enjoyed was a fate every woman you knew hoped for but knew not to anticipate. And here you were with both a marriage and an enjoyable husband.

"What's wrong?" Tommy asked, tossing away his cigarette. He brought his hand up to stroke your cheek, but you caught it and observed the silver band around his finger instead, running your thumb over the metal.

"Do you like this?" Your eyes lifted to meet his. "The ring?"

The ring, the marriage, what was the difference? He smirked then turned his hand, interlacing your fingers.

"So much that I think there must have been a mix up of fortune. A better man should have it, maybe." He said, then kissed your forehead and started towards the door. "Come now, I think I'll let you walk around with me dripping out of you for at least a half-hour."

"I may just have to give you a proper thank you on the ride home then, Sir."

Tommy expertly ignored questions about his whereabouts from his brothers and knowing looks from his sister, all while holding your hand. You smiled to yourself and thought,

I have a crush on you, Tommy Shelby.

Tommy Tag List: @soleil-dor; @amysteryspot

JGB Series Tag List: @biba3434

#Tommy Shelby Imagine #Tommy Shelby #Tommy Shelby x Reader #Tommy Shelby Fic #Tommy Shelby Smut #peaky blinders imagine #Dom Tommy

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moonlit-imagines · 4 years

Text

Headcanons for being Peter Parker’s Younger Sibling

Peter Parker x sibling!reader

warnings: bullying mention, blood mention

a/n: a fuckin reach, its been a WHILE since ive seen tasm

prompt: y/n is peter’s sibling

peter and you were playful kids

you were just a year and some months younger than him, so you had a harder time remembering your parents than him

but he always told you stories about them that made you miss them a little more

peter was a genius, we all know it

he was the one helping you with your homework most nights

“peter i cant do it!”

“that’s okay, y/n. look, start with two times four, that’s eight, then four times six, twenty-four, right?”

“can i say a cuss word?”

“sure”

“math is shit”

you would cry during homework a lot

you’d also pass out on his floor after talking for hours

and you’d either wake up facedown on the floor or in your room since uncle ben would pick you up and put you to bed

peter took it upon himself to take you back to your room, but he usually dragged you by the arm, sooooo

you’d play action figures together

he was batman, you were robin always

“can i be batman?”

“oldest gets to be batman so im batman”

“but i wanna be batman!”

peter walked you to your school before taking off on his skateboard

and he’d pick you up on his way home

on half-days your brother taught you how to skate

you fell a lot

aunt may had to patch you up

“how many times do i have to tell you those skateboards are dangerous?!”

peter got you your own skateboard so that you could practice without him

you would text him after you did a trick and he’d always say hell yes! show me when i get home!

being his photography assistant

really you were his assistant constantly

science fair was the most boring day of the year

“y/n, stand right here, i need to get something from my locker”

*judges walk up while youre left unattended and in a state of PANIC*

you were bullied in middle school, same as peter, he’d always stick up for you and get beat up instead

it made you very mad but it was scary, too

“how’d you get into this fight, peter?”

“oh, you know, just happened”

“peter was sticking up for me, uncle ben”

“was he now? you’re a good brother, peter”

lonely when he moved onto high school :/

but you got there soon enough

you guys were kind of loners, just ate lunch together, lugged around your skateboards, you were an artist, he was a photographer

just spectating the chaos of high school, rolling your eyes at the drama

“i have two bucks, do you want anything from the vending machine?”

“uhh, a coke?”

you saw peter get bullied by flash and lost your shitttt

you actually started a food fight after throwing mashed potatoes in his eyes

“what the hell, parker?!”

“sit down and eat your goddamn food, flash, or next time it wont be potatoes”

peter was half-proud, half-embarrassed

trying to see how long you could skate through the halls before any authority figures stopped you

sometimes......you guys got sent to the office together :)

*phone ringing* “hello, is this ben parker?”

“which one of them is it this time?”

the principal’s office was a trip sometimes

you and peter exchange your glances and wait to get scolded

“ah, the parkers, come in, lets have a chat...why do you two always feel the need to get in trouble together?”

“we just happen to get along really well for siblings”

no you fuckin dont lmaoooo

it was always something with you two

like always

*banging on peter’s door* “I KNOW YOU HAVE MY BROWNIES, PETER, GIVE THEM BACK”

*peter through a mouthful of brownies* “I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOURE TALKING ABOUT, YOURE CRAZY”

“is that my jacket?” -peter

“you mean my jacket?”

“y/n, i swear to god if you steal any more of my clothes it’s over for you”

“well, aunt may keeps giving me your clothes, so take it up with her”

and then there was just the little annoying things

“peter, can you stop clicking your pen?”

*clicks pen faster*

“you’re the worst”

and my personal favorite

“peter, open the door”

“why?”

“emergency”

*opens bedroom door* “what?”

“aunt may is making meatloaf”

“shit, uh...get your board, we’ll skate to mcdonalds and tell her we already ate”

peter and you RARELY ever brought your parents up until he found your dad’s briefcase, you didn’t have much to say

soon he was flooding his room with conspiracies and pulling you in to explain them

he began acting REALLY weird, but he was pretty open with you, he told you he went to oscorp

“YOU SNUCK IN??”

“your standards for me are way too high, y/n”

soon you started to feel not-so-good and weird things started to happen

“peter??”

“yeah? whats up?”

“this is gonna sound really weird...my hand is stuck to the door”

“it happened to you, too??”

“happening, pete. wait—this happened to you?? what is this???????”

yall done fucked up and got bit by spiders peter had so carelessly brought back into the house

it was an adjustment to say the least

and this adjustment got a whole lot harder that one night...you can remember peter just...so upset

you tried to chase him out to make sure he was okay, but uncle ben told you to stay with your aunt

maybe if you’d have been there...it would’ve been different, but when the cops got to your house you were at a loss for words

peter was covered in his blood still

“hey, hey, just breathe, okay? it’s not your fault, peter. just hop in the shower, yeah? i’ll take care of your clothes”

when peter took your advice and you were left alone, you just cried, you cried until he finally found you curled up in a ball in your room

then he cried, you just hugged each other sobbing your eyes out

peter got distant for a while, which was rough since the two of your were mourning for your uncle and dealing with these newfound powers

sooner or later he came around and helped you out, designing webshooters and a suit for you

“we match?”

*sigh* “yeah...yeah, we match”

ah yes, spider-team

you really tripped out new york at first, they thought spider-man was a teleporter

peter was still talking about your dad, but you really didn’t care, uncle ben was always going to be who raised you

you and peter would be covered in bruises after going out

“uh—peter punched me”

“y/n???!!!”

“I PANICKED”

just being dumb scared teens that cant function to save their lives until they get a little bit lucky

seriously like, every big villain you guys fought was just the worst

peter didn’t help all the time, he was good at provoking them sometimes

“hey, spider-man, you mind shutting up for a minute? for my sake?”

“sorry, sorry, just couldn’t help myself!”

he gushed to you about gwen stacy, he actually dragged you to her apartment to be patched up by her SEVERAL TIMES

yadda yadda yadda peter graduated high school! how cool is that? but he was late (what a surprise) even though you put off spidering today just for this

but he made it and you clapped the loudest for him

“thats my brotherrrr!!!”

cute family picture! (aunt may printed a bunch of them and gave them to you two and peter pinned them to his wall)

you and peter actually have a lot of pictures of the two of you just goofing off

he has one of you stuck in a trash can that cracks him up every time

seeing harry osborn again after YEARS

“wow, y/n, last time i saw you i just thought you were peter’s annoying little sibling”

“aww, it’s good to see you, too”

electrooooo

this guy really worried you bc like, bzzzz shock

you and peter weren’t equipped for that

it took a while, but you were finally able to deal with that

and several other problems

including peter’s breakup, which was a whole ordeal of its own

*peter laying upside down on your bed* “i dont know, y/n, you know? i wanna be with her so bad, i love her...but her dad is haunting me”

*you, drawing on your notepad with your legs propped up on his* “yeah, makes sense”

you actually had to tap out during the end of electro, you were hurt pretty bad

“y/n, hey? yeah, you’re okay. stay here, just stay right there, i’m gonna be back for you”

*thumbs up to show youre still alive*

but when peter came back for you there was bad news, he’d lost gwen

he ripped his mask off and fell to his knees, you could barely move but you powered through it, giving him a hug while he cried

“we...we better get home before aunt may starts to worry”

she was at work, so you two had the place to yourselves to clean up and mourn before the official news was revealed

“i should have listened to her dad, y/n, this is all my fault”

he was a mess, you couldn’t bare seeing him like this. it’s been so long since you’d seen him like this

the funeral was rough, peter was grasping onto your shoulder the whole time

he insisted that he was going to stick behind and stay with gwen for a while

“okay, i’ll see you at home...love you”

“love you too”

you gave him a hug and left him to his business, the next few months you were the only spider-person operating in new york...until rhino popped up

“im coming with you”

“you’re sure?”

“yeah, im sure”

(these are kinda ass but anyways im tagging my marvel ppl even tho ik this isnt mcu so just ignore this post if you dont care, sorry!!)

taglist: @alwaysananglophile // @rorybutnotgilmore // @locke-writes // @sweetheartliz07 // @queen-destenie // @natasha-danvers // @allthecreativeonesaretaken // @frostedgiant // @praellee // @emygirl // @lotsoffandomrecs //

#peter parker x reader #peter parker imagine #peter parker #spiderman #spiderman imagine #spiderman x reader #marvel #marvel x reader #marvel imagine #andrew garfield #amazing spider man #amazing spider man x reader #amazing spider man imagine #parker!reader #peter parker x sibling!reader #peter parker x sister!reader

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isellcrackforthecia · 3 years

Text

WENDIGO

a film written by Ayden Wylde

SETTING [starts out taking place at an apartment complex in north carolina] [shows the drive from there to colorado] [blackwater ridge colorado is where most of the film takes place]

[CHARACATERS] [T1_C1_Wade:23; Micahs younger brother and Maries BF:Cocky:skilled] [hunter/tracker:versed in weapons:rock climbing champion:] [T1_C1_Marie:21; Wades GF:Shy:hiker:] [T2_C2_Micah:25; older brother to Wade, leader of the party:Mysterious:skilled] [hunter/tracker:versed in weapons:] [T3_C2_Evie:21; Maries bestfriend and Mariahs GF:Outgoing:athletic/runs track: [T3_C2_Mariah:20; Evies GF:Super smart:versed in the supernatural:versed in] [weapons:] [T4_C1_Caleb:22; Amandas BF:Full of fun:athletic:] [T4_C1_Amanda:22; Calebs GF:Lighthearted:]

[Wade and Marie have been together since the beginning of highschool] [Evie and Mariah have been together for 3 years] [Caleb and Amanda have beenm together since their tenth grade year]

scene opens with a wide overhang shot of a large forest, with a faint scream, birds fly from the trees camera flys into the forest where the scream came from (via drone)(one shot) camera slows into a clearing with 4 tents, torn to shreds, several bags and supplies, all dumped out and signs of there have being a firepit

fade to black 9 days ago

fade from black opens to a young man and a young woman sitting in a car the young man in the drivers seat of the car jammin out beatin on the steering wheel

Caleb: C'mon guys what the hell is the hold up?? Amanda: Cal' lighten up. we will get there when we get there. Caleb: Bullshit! (he honks his horn multiple times) GUYS!

Wade comes flying out the door with Marie's and his bags in hand and begins to load up

Caleb: Wade where is your brother man, im trying to get to the site. Wade: He should be here any minute dude, chill out. Youre gonna piss off my neighbors with all that noise.

just as Wade says that Micah comes speeding over a hill down the street honking his horn.

Micah pulls up behind his brothers car Micah: Ive got room in the back if you guys need it

Micah, Evie, and Mariah all step out of Micahs car

Micah and Wade go inside for a last minute check

Micah rapidly slows down and grabs his brothers shoulder still walking just slowly Micah: sooo..how are you and Marie doing? Wade: *scoffs* we're uh we're good. great actually. Micah: thats awesome and kinda unbelievalbe, you..talk to mom at all recently? Wade: yeah we-Micah whats up? Wade stops walking Micah: *sighs* i just, i havent been around in more than a couple of years and i, i dont know Wade i feel like i shouldve been, and im sorry. thats why i set up this trip. i just want to be back in everyones lives again okay. i just- Wade: okay. okay. i get it quit being such a bitch Wade smiles and runs down the hall to the door of his apartment Micah lowers his head a chuckles a bit and carries on walking to the apartment leaning in the front doorway catching the end of Wade and Maries conversation

Wade: babe cmon ive already triple checked youre going to be fine for a week in the wilderness. Marie: what if something happens i mean life is unpredictable Wade: well...i'll be here to protect you *leans in* Micah: i wouldnt trust that so much if i was you Marie. *he says jokingly walking into the apartment* Marie: MICAH!! *she runs over to hug him* god how long has it been, look, im all grown up now *laughs* Micah: *scoffs* yeah, we all are.

Caleb yells from the door of the apartment building Caleb: i swear to christ i will come in there and f-

Micah and Wade: OKAY!

cut to them all getting into their cars and hitting the road to Blackwater Ridge CO #montage of them driving from north carolina their drive was roughly going to be 24.5 hrs long during montage they see the north carolina, missouri and colorado state signs they hit several gas stations, and just driving sight seeing shots montage song; gamma rays by louden swain (i dont know if i have to ask XD)

both cars pull up to a parking area with multiple trails leading off of it they all exit their cars and begin to grab their things

Micha: so we are going to be walking down this path about a half a mile guys so prepare yourselves Amanda: half a mile!? babe carry me? Caleb: wish i could hun but i am kinda carrying everything else...sooo... Amanda: you want to be an ass then i can just leave Caleb: *drops the things hes carrying and jogs to Amanda* okay im sorry i didnt mean to hurt your little feelings lets just get to the sight and ill set up the tent and we can...relax...for a bit yknow Amanda:*excitedly* Okay!

Evie:*grabs Amanda from behind to scare her a little* a half a mile isnt even that bad dont get your panties in a bunch

Evie begins tickling Amanda and picking on her.

Caleb: quit flirting with my girfriend Ev come get your pack

Evie begins to walk towards Caleb just barely coming to pass Mariah before grabbing her for a hug

Evie: why would i be flirting with your girlfriend when ive got a perfectly good one right here Mariah: shut the hell up and grab our packs, dork Evie: okay, okay, but you guys havent heard the last of Evie Welsberg

Micah: do you guys ever stay on one task he says as he grabs his things Wade: why would we ever big brother?

they head down the trail about halfway through Marie starts to get a wierd feeling

Marie:*looking over her shoulder* i kinda feel like someone is out there watching us guys Wade: just relax, its a forest and theres animals, so there probably is something out there watching you 'oooooh' Marie: shut up wade im serious Micah: lets just get to the camp and if you still feel that way then we will have a look around okay? happy?

they get to their barren campsite and set up for the night

Amanda and Caleb retire to their tent

Micah: do you feel better or do you still think i need to check it out Marie: *seeing Wade over Micahs shoulder shaking his head no* i dont know i guess i feel fine Micah: so? youre fine then? cool. *he turns*

Wade and Marie retire to the campfire

Wade starts playing guitar (carry on my wayword son) Evie, Mariah and Micah gather around the fire with them listening to him play

a twig snaps in the dark woods Micah flips around to look they hear a moan come from the almost pitch black forest which puts them all on edge

Micah: Whos out there!? *no response* Marie: what the hell was that? Micah: i dont know but im going to go have a look Wade: NO! Micah no. its dark i have no idea what that was youre a skilled hunter but just wait for daylight Micah: whatever that was could pick us off by daylight. im going to go have a look, besides ive got ole bessy *pulls out pistol* Wade: Jesus K Le Christ! Micah why did you bring that you know Evie hates guns. Micah: for protection? and it seems like we may need it

Micah disappears into the dark forest

Wade sits back down at the campfire and no sooner does he hear his brother scream

Everyone: Micah?! *saying it at different times and in different times*

Caleb comes barreling out of his tent buttoning his pants.

Caleb: what the hell was that? Wade: it was Micah. put on your shoes and come with me *he grabs a flashlight* Caleb: say less. Caleb gets dressed and as theyre heading out into the woods Marie comes running up to Wade

Marie: come back to me okay? one piece. promise? Wade: promise.

Wade and Caleb venture out into the woods in the direction Micah went.

Caleb: sooo..why are we out here what happened? Wade: we heard something out here..dont know what it was..didnt sound like any animal ive ever hunted. Caleb: and Micah..? Wade: Micah came out here to see what it was and something happened to him you heard it. *Wade begins to panic*

Caleb Stops Wade

Caleb: okay relax deep breaths hes fine he got away from it hes smarter than all of us combined okay just... lets walk a little further and if we dont find anything we head back to the camp and look in the daylight

they begin walking again they walk a couple of meters when Wade kicks something in the brush its Micahs gun

Wade: dude... Caleb: okay lets head back to thecamp and wait till light Wade ive got the most messed up feeling Wade looks around for his brother and doesnt see anything Wade: *taking a deep breath* okay

making their way back to the camp the hear something behind them and beging to sprint back they get back to the camp half out of breath looking terrified

Evie: what the hell happened to you? wheres Micah? Wade: we couldnt find him only found this *holds up pistol* Evie: great what are we supposed to do now Wade: we wait till light then we find my brother

cut to the sun coming up

Evie, Mariah, Amanda and Marie all slept Wade stayed up all night and Caleb stayed up to make sure he didnt do anything stupid

as the sun is coming up the girls all emerge from their tents

Wade: okay guys, lets get a plan going Caleb: we should split up into a couple of groups, Wade, you and Marie head off in the same direction Micah went last night Amanda and i will go around the creek and meet you on the other side Evie, you and Mariah go back in the opposite direction and see if he just got turned around and lost

as they go in their respected directions fade to black

open too Evie and Mariah walking through the forest shouting for Micah

Evie: MICAH! Mariah: shhhut up. you dont know what could be in these woods Evie: i swear to christ, youre always going on about the 'supernatural'. please just give it a rest and try to be serious for one second, please? Mariah: but honestly think about it Micah is a big dude and he had a gun no predator is going to be able to snatch him up without leaving some kind of trail. im just saying that anything is possible dont rule anything out.

Evie stops walking and begins to mock Mariah.

Evie: oh yeah what would it be then? Mariah: well i dont have alot of deets on what it does...but i guess it could be a black dog, its quick..?

Evie busts up laughing and begins to walk again hollering for Micah when the hear Marie screm from the opposite direction Evie and Mariah both hightail it back to the campsite as they come barreling in so do Marie along with Caleb and Amanda Marie: What the HELL was that thing?!? oh what the...what.....

Marie looks as if shes seen a ghost

Caleb grabs Marie by the shoulders.

Caleb: where. is. wade?

Marie doesnt answer

Evie: give her some space for a second Cal shes obviously in shock just let her breathe

Evie guides Marie away from the group to sit down on a rock

Caleb: does anyone know what the HELL is going on?! someone is out there messing with us and ITS NOT COOL! *he yells*

Amanda getting Caleb to calm down in the background of Evie and Marie talking

Amanda: okay babe youre fine just look at me and forget about all of this for a sec

Evie: Marie? you ready to talk about what happened?

Marie looks at Evie with absolute fear in her eyes

Marie: Evie,i have absolutley no idea what that was...it looked like a man but it was too tall and skinny and grey-*she begins to panic* Evie: okay, okay deep breaths, did he talk Mariah: dont call it that...that thing was not human Evie... Evies eyes widen as she gets up and walks over to the rest of the remaining group Evie: Mariah, can i talk to you over here please...now...the rest of you go talk to Marie without making her more distraught, okay?

Mariah: whats the deal. Evie: im not saying its all real, but tall, skinny, greyskinned looks like a man and is fast. Mariah: uuuuhhhhmmm.....gimme a second, it could be a lot of things...maybe a skinwalker?..or a Wendigo, i kinda believe they are the same thing. Evie: okay so what is it? Mariah: well they used to be human, but cannabalism drove them to mutate both in body and in mind making them no longer human fun fact actually the donar party mishap was in this area so maybe its a wendigo from that- *Evie interupts Mariah* Evie: please no rambling its not the time...actually that makes sense...kinda, keep going what kills them and where do they keep their 'food' Mariah: well like most things a solid decapitation and burning whats left would be the way to go as in to kill it but we dont have anything to decap it with so...we could disorient it long enough to get away... Evie: how? Mariah: ffffire?? Evie: baby that is stupid but it may just work *kisses Mariahs forehead* they both jog back to the group Evie: okay guys i cant explain it all right this second but ive got a plan.

Evie: alright so- Marie: do you even have a clue as to what this thing is? Evie: well- Mariah: its a skinwalker...ooor a wendigo its undecided Marie: a what? Mariah: a skinwalker they- Evie: enough...we need to get our boys back yes? *the group agrees* Evie: alright well then heres the plan. Caleb, you, Amanda and Marie are going to try to keep its attention but be super careful this thing is quicker and smarter than us. Mariah and i are going to try to find its little hideout Caleb: wait we could do this smarter Evie. Evie: what do you mean? Caleb: weeelll..we get bait out there and the rest of us close enough to follow but not enough to be seen. you following me? Mariah: well whos the bait? Caleb Marie and Amanda all look at Mariah Evie: oh no, Hell no, absolutley not Caleb: oh cmon Ev shes perfect she knows everything about all the monsters right? Mariah: well yeah... Evie: you dont have to babe its okay Mariah: yes i do its okay neither skinwalkers or wendigo kill thier prey before taking them to its 'home' unless you piss it off...Which i promise i wont do, okay...ill be safe Evie: okay well...what do you guys have that is flammable? *she says with a giant smile* Amanda: ive got a can of hairspray and a lighter. Evie: okay we got booze how much? Caleb: a bottle and a half Evie: okay well make two molotofts use a shirt or something. Caleb: on it. Evie: Marie? are you ready to do this? Marie: we have too. to get Wade and Micah back. Evie: alright babe come here. Mariah walks up to evie and they hug for a long time Evie: i love you you know that right? Mariah: of course i do im going to be fine lets go Evie: you heard the woman, lets go!

Mariah ventures out into the wilderness alone, the group waits 10 seconds and then they follow keeping her in eyeline but keeping their distance

Mariah singing to keep herself at ease: its like teaching arcitecture to an eskimo you can show him everything you know hes still gonna build it outta snow *shakily*

a loud shout from out in the forest makes her jump it sounds like Wade. Mariah: Wade?! Wade is that you? another shout seemingly closer but it sounds like Micah the second time around Mariah: okay so mimics voices..dingdingding wendigo for the win..oh jesus

she continues to walk checking over her shoulder every couple of seconds she can hear the beast circling her she continues to sing eskimo by louden swain the rustling stops and she hears what is almost a whisper but sounds scratchy and terrifying "help" she turns around and everything goes black

Caleb: is she singing? Evie: leave her be shes nervous and i think its cute they hear the creature making noises and they watch patiently until it snatches up Mariah and bolts

The group of four takes off running following the creature they follow it to an old run down mine it looks over its shoulder and then proceeds to walk into the mine

Evie: okay we give it a second and follow it in weve got to be quiet as mice i dont care what happens not a sound understand? Group: got it Evie: Caleb you and Amanda stay together with a molotoft and the flamethrower? i guess that what we could call it. Marie and i will keep a molotoft with us and we are going to find our friends. lets go.

they collectively head into the mine

walking through the mine they come to a fork and they split into their respective groups and go along their way

Caleb: its so erie in here Amanda: it is kind of a monsters hide out..what did you expect kittens and rainbows? *laughs* Caleb: SHH! mice remember? Amanda: sorry...i was just pickin Caleb:...did you hear that (he moves Amanda up against a wall next to him) peaking aroung the corner Caleb Gasps and instantly covers his mouth Amanda: tapping him and without using words motions what? Caleb: *mouthing* its right there he peaks aroung the corner again Caleb: i see Micah and Mariah, i dont see wade though. go find the others ill stay here and hidden and keep an eye on what happens here Amanda: *while walking away* i swear to god if you die i will kill you Caleb: *salutes and smiles* understood captain! Amanda giggles and wanders off to find Evie and Marie

Fade to black

Evie: i think we shouldve gone the other way theres nothing down here but a maze. Marie: maybe thats the point Evie...it traps us.. Evie: Marie, refreakinglax okay lets head back the way we came youve been dropping trailmix the whole way? Marie: of course? im shook not stupid?

they begin to follow their trail back the way they came when they hear footsteps.

Evie: over here! she whispers they duck behind an old couple of crates. Evie peaks over the top

as a figure emerges from around the corner Evie ducks, then begins to just barely peak over the crate to see Amanda

Evie: *stands* you scared the living christ out of us Amanda where the hell is Caleb? Amanda: hes fine waiting for us actually, we found it. where its keeping everyone Marie: then why are we standing here lets go!

quietly they make it to Caleb standing at the wall where Caleb and Amanda were is Amanda, Marie and Evie

Caleb: psst guys Evie: guys over here *she leads them behind some debre Caleb is hiding behind* Amanda: how are we going to get it to leave? Marie: we could distract it.. Caleb: how so? Marie: well Evie and I were getting pretty lost in the other side of the mine. we left a trail..so just use the trail to hide in that side of the mine and make a lot of noise to get it to leave long enough we can get Micah and them cut down and get out of here. Evie: whos..gonna do that? Caleb: i will. Amanda: Caleb, what did i tell you i- Caleb: Amanda look at me *he grabs her by the face* ive got to say this now because i dont know if im going to get the chance to later Amanda Miller, you are my light in the dark, my bell in deep water, you are the sand in my pockets that keeps me on earth. i love you with every ounce of my being and NEVER think otherwise you hear me. know i always will even if im not here ill always be here *he places his hand on her heart as a tear falls down his cheek* i am going to do everything in my power to make it out of here alive with you by god. but if i die protecting you then i die happy. and im okay with that. Amanda: well im not *she struggles to say through her tears* Caleb: not right now youre not, and not for a long time you wont be but one day you will. *he kisses her and then stands up picking up a molotoft on the way then disappearing into the mine*

they wait what seems like an eternity passes and they hear Caleb in the other side of the mine Breaking things

Caleb: C'MON YOU UGLY BITCH COME GET SOME FRESH MEAT!

the creature turns quickly running down through the mine towards Caleb

Amanda Marie and Evie make their way through the debre and remains on the floor of this mine Marie sees Wade tied up and rushes towards him Marie:Oh my God! *while turning around she vomits*

Wades body hanging hands tied to a metal hook on the ceiling his throat slit and eyes still open his stomach torn open with his entrails laying across the ground in front of him. even dead his eyes seemingly filled with dread

Marie falls to the ground at his feet and begins to sob

Amanda cutting down Micah And Evie cutting down Mariah they both are unharmed other than the bleeding lumps on their heads from being knocked out Amanda lays Micah down on the ground and begins to try to shake him awake Amanda: Micah wake up cmon

Evie gets Mariah down and wakes her up fairly quickly Mariah still groggy: youre here! she says happily Evie: of course i am, im too stubborn to have left you Mariah: i think my arm is broken it hurts and i cant move it Evie: okay, can you stand? Mariah: lets see shall we (shes still obviously groggy the hit on her head probably caused a concussion)

Micah begins to stand up Amanda: be careful. youre head wound will styphon your senses Micah: im fine wheres my brother? *slurring*

Marie (who has been quiet stands up and walks towards Micah): Micah im so sorry we came as fast as we could we tried so hard to-

Micah pushes past her and cuts his brother down crying Micah: im so sorry baby brother i shouldnt have been so stupid...(he closes Wades eyes) *as Micah begins to stand* Amanda: Micah we- Micah: wheres Caleb? Evie: hes distracting the thing...speaking of...*she goes to the corner to peak around it and listen. she still hears Caleb yelling and Breaking things.* Evie: hes okay for now but we need to go. Marie: we cant just leave him here?! Micah: we have to. no use carrying dead weight. Marie: how could you say that hes your brother? as marie says that they all hear Caleb Loudly "SHIT" and a scramble

Micah: we need to go now, what did we bring as a weapon. Mariah: *giggling* FFFFIRRRE! Micah: keep her quiet lets go

they proceed out of the mine when Caleb barrels into the group Caleb: go. Go. GO!

Micah picks up Mariah knowing she cant run on her own and they all start sprinting

with the monster gaining on them, coming closer to them faster then they were going to hit the entrance into the mine let alone the forest

Micah trips and falls busting his knee and dropping Mariah Caleb makes a split second decision and turns around to help

he helps Micah up and the wendigo grabs Mariah in the mess, snaps her neck, drops her and keeps coming Evie: NO! Marie grabs Evies arm and frantically tries to keep her running as Amanda makes her way out of the mine stopping just outside the entrance Amanda: Goddamnit come on!

Caleb: Go. Micah: What? no. Caleb: GO! NOW! Caleb lights a molotoft and throws it at the beast turns and pushes Micah closer to the mine entrance Caleb: GO! *he says as he full body tackles the flaming monster getting over it and running into the mine* Caleb: come get me you stupid son of a bitch

during this Micah gets out of the mine grabs the girls and keeps them moving

the creature turns and sees the rest of them are gone and follows Caleb down into the mine

Micah, Marie, Evie, and Amanda haul ass to their campsite and rapidly grab the packs with only their radios and keys and continue to haul ass through the forest looking over their shoulders the whole time

they get to their cars get them into the road and wait just in case he made it out

cut to Caleb running through the mine Caleb: *panting* theres got to be something in here to kill this thing with he hears the monster make a shrill moaning sound still a bit aways from him rummaging through debre he finds a pickaxe

Caleb: oh hell yes! a very low growl coming from right behind him he jumps up turns around and swings

cut to black

still waiting in their running cars for the slightest sign that Caleb is out there they hear it

In the depths of the forest, the wind begins to rush against the fragile tree branches. A shrieking howl can be heard. It starts as a bone chilling moan and continues to rise in both power and terror until it climaxes in blood-curdling horror. A sense of dread consumes them as they realize their friends will never make it out of those woods,

backing up wide shot as they drive off

THE END.

#supernatural #fanfic #igaveitago #iactuallyloveit

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ariwilder · 5 years

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It’s not over until the Fat Lady sings | Part V

Pairing: Penny Haywood x Jacob’s Sibling

Summary: It’s over. It’s your final day at Hogwarts. It’s time to say farewell to your friends and soon enough the start of new adventures.

Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V

Several days go by without any of you bringing that up. By the end of the week, you are prepared to give up on talking about it entirely. As last resort, you try to throw an offhand remark on one occasion, much to your amazement and embarrassment. Only to be met with a "What about that day?’, ‘The sunset was nice, wasn’t it?’, and ‘It was such a boomer we got wet!’. It is almost as if that instant at the beach hadn’t happened at all to Penny Haywood. If you didn’t know her any better, you would’ve testified on veritaserum that Penny Haywood had drank a forgetfulness potion.

You find yourselves easily falling back into routine as days go by day. You think It is for the best, you know, even despite the initial anxiety. Better to get it over with. You had never been good at the whole dating thing, anyway. Not that holding hands meant both of you would abruptly start dating. You had dated a friend before, if briefly, only for it to end in complete chaos. A neglectful partner too fixated on finding the vaults to commit to a romantic relationship.

You decided you were better off as friends, and that was that. Thankfully, you broke it off in good terms. It was hard not to.

To this date, you aren’t quite sure whether your friendship ever recovered from that hit. Hence, after such short-lived fling, forming a romantic bond with anyone simply evaporated from your desires. Until now. You had always liked Penny. Since day one. Who didn’t like Penny? How could you not? Liking Penny had always been so easy. Sunny, brilliant, kind, Penny. Unreachable, distant, mysterious, Penny. This fondness of yours is tiptoeing around your heart and it scares the hell out of you. Holding hands might not have meant anything to her, for all you knew. Penny is a natural flirt, that much is common knowledge. She might’ve felt lonely and homesick that day, and you —the only source of comfort in the middle of nowhere— happened to be at the right place and the right time.

You just held hands, right?. It didn’t have to be a big deal. Even if it was to you. Dating while being apprentices? A recipe for disaster, surely. Your friendship with Penny really is too precious to you to risk it like that.

You remind yourself of this as often as you need to. As you hear the soft hum of her breathing beside your bed lulling you to sleep. Until the memory of your intertwined hands falls on the back of your head for you to recall only every now and then.

You find yourself deeply immersed on a book about defensive spells when Rakepick enters the living room with Penny tailing behind her hot on her heels.

“Pack what you find most necessary for we are leaving at 10 p.m. sharp. I expect no delays; we’ll be leaving by Portkey. Questions?”

To this day, Patricia Rakepick’s ability to deliver orders still blows you away. Her level of confidence and presence left no room for doubt or disagreements. Not that you would ever confess that to her. You sense Penny following your nod at your side before watching Rakepick disappear behind the doorframe.

“That was unexpected,” Penny comments beside you.

‘You holding my hand out of nowhere, and never commenting about it was unexpected’ is what you want to answer but you think better of it. Not wondering about it, is, to you, still a work in progress.

“Yeah.” You sigh and close your book with a thud. You don’t want to be distant or cold with Penny but it has become increasingly difficult for you to look her in the eye.

“Do you already know what you’ll bring on the trip?” You hear Penny trying to chitchat you before you decide to bolt towards the door to your room.

“I’ll be on it!”

You are not quite sure she hears when you close the door behind you. You feel so frustrated you kick your trunk with the sole of your dirty boot. This is so stupid. Being alone with Penny made your heart fret. Your mother used to stir you a calming potion whenever something was particularly wreckful on your nerves, but asking for a calming potion meant asking Penny for a favor and it made you incredibly nervous, almost as if, tiny mad pixies lived inside your stomach whenever Penny was around. Everything reminded you of her, the blue in the sky, the ray of sunshine that escaped through your window every morning, the sensation that overcame you whenever you drank your morning earl grey tea.

You hide your face into your pillow and sigh. It will be over eventually, hopefully, sooner than later. You are glad curse breaking always managed to prove a useful distraction.

You don’t see Penny much for the rest of the day. You busy yourselves over with different activities. What could be considered important to you had a completely different meaning to Penny Haywood it seems.

You decided to take your trunk with you. Despite Rakepick making the mention of only taking only what could be considered indispensable, you weren’t about to leave many of your belongings inside a house you were not sure you were going to return to. You had read Rakepick’s books, and her adventures and experiences remained far from safe. For Rakepick to abandon her jurisdiction under Gringotts after leaving Hogwarts for a solo expedition, it could only mean serious business. That and the fact that you still didn’t know where you were going is worrisome. It could be right in the middle of nowhere. Everything seemed highly suspicious to you and for that, this whole trip gives you an ominous feeling. If I all came crashing down, where would you go? What about Penny?

You don’t get to grill on this question when the door to of your shared room opens. A disheveled looking Penny tumbles on her bead with a sound thud. She is already wearing a long crimson robe over dark breeches and high boots.

“You look tired.”

She doesn’t even look at you as you watch her melt into her mattress.

“I’ve been sorting a portable potion rack and workshop. I’ve been brewing non-stop for weeks,” Her eyes are closed but you can still recognize the phantom of dark rings under her eyes.

You been doing nothing but read and practice spells all day long for weeks, and moderate physical training. The occasional sparring with Rakepick is proving to be the most physically and mentally exhaustive exercise in your schedule. However, preparing difficult potions could be taxing. You remember from your N.E.W.T.s experience, and feel guilty for not being particularly supportive to your friend. Penny, of course, never complained. You can’t help but think Rakepick had hit the jackpot managing to recruit her. Penny’s experience was closer to labor abuse than apprenticeship, if anyone asked you.

“Why are you here for really, Penny?”

The question had plagued you ever since Rakepick pointed it out to you. Unlike you, she wasn’t receiving any guidance, and had just been ordered to brew potions nonstop for a yet undisclosed adventure. What could be in for her? She had already refused Rakepick’s offer as curse breaker once, back in your 4th year at Hogwarts. What could be different now?

“I still have to pack my trunk, why?"

“You know that’s not what I meant Penny,” You are sitting over your bed, legs crossed. Penny’s eyes open slowly, and she quickly gives you a sideway glance.

You lock eyes, your heart propels into a gallop. You feel like running suddenly, a part of you feels you don’t really wants to hear her answer, but it was almost as if your body had been hit by the full body bind curse.

Time moves agonizingly slow as you see her mouth move and wet her lips.

“Why are you asking this all of a sudden?” Her voice is low and serious and so very unlike herself. It almost sounds scared to you.

It almost scares you too.

The sound of heavy boots going down the stairs loudly interrupts you from even thinking of an answer. You hear Rakepick’s loud voice thunder through the walls.

“Change of plans, we are leaving now! To the yard, now!”

You and Penny exchange knowing glances instantly. Your conversation will be moved to the back seat for now. Whatever reason Rakepick had to evacuate her home before schedule had danger written all over. The kick of adrenaline pumps to your veins.

“I’ll help you pack the rest,” You tell Penny before accio-ing your own dark travelling cloak.

Penny shakes her head and throws a small leather clad messenger bag into your hands.

“Put whatever you need inside. I used an enlargement charm on it. I’ve already packed all that I needed there. I’ll meet you outside. I still need to pick up something up.”

She runs towards door, leaving you dumbfounded.

An enlargement charm on a bag? Brilliant.

“Where’s Haywood?” Rakepick’s voice is brisk. She doesn’t even look at you as you arrive. Her eyesight set on the looming forest.

“What’s going on?”

You squint your eyes in the direction of the forest and despite your best efforts, you see nothing out of the ordinary. The sun is starting to set in the distance but there is still enough sunlight to be able to spot anything unusual. Rakepick’s uneasiness worries you.

“We need to go now.” She looks over her shoulder, over yours and it does nothing to calm your nerves.

“Why? What’s going on? We deserve to know!” You speak louder than intended and more certain than you feel. Rakepick’s unusually apprehensive eyes lock with yours.

She grabs unto your arm, hard, “Listen kid, remember when I told you curse breaking is no dandy walk in the park and you might get people after you, eventually? Well, something terrible might happen to us if we don’t leave now. I might protect myself but I’m not sure I’ll be able to protect you.”

“I’m ready,”

Penny’s words break through the dense silence that had suddenly risen between you two. You are not sure whether she listened to Rakepick’s words but she lets go of your arm instantly. You don’t give her the pleasure of seeing you flinch. The probability of not living beyond this day suddenly downs on you. Your face is stoic, you don’t want Penny to worry more than necessary.

You see her take out a pocket watch from her pants and open it. In the silence of the yard, its ticking noise rose to prominence.

“We are using the bucket over there,” She points to an old tattered steel bucket a couple of feet from you. It suddenly displays an intense blue hue. You had failed to spot it ever since your arrival; only taking note of it now.

“Go.”

You touch the old tattered bucket and feel the now familiar twig under your navel before feeling the air being knocked out of your lungs. Your body sails with force downward. You fall into tall green grass and weeds. This time around with much more grace than your previous experience. You feel Penny’s small hand cradle into your arm for support. You don’t brush her away as you see her steading herself. You try your best not to give it much importance.

Someone is waiting for you. It is a middle-aged woman. She looks younger than Rakepick but far older than either you or Penny. She is also the shortest of the four of you. Her skin, light brown, with big almond-shaped tawny eyes. She had a bright yellow headband over her head that did a very bad job at managing her wild bushy dark hair. Her cloak, unlike yours, is sleeveless and brightly colored green. Her most distinctive feature is a tribal tattoo that went from her right shoulder right over to her upper arm.

“Paty! Como você anda querida? ” Much to your surprise, she envelopes Patricia Rakepick in a particularly long hug.

You and Penny exchange surprised glances. ‘Paty?’ you mouth the nickname in silent disbelief.

“Not as well as you, it seems,” It is weird to you to listen to Rakepick sound gleeful, but she smiles genuinely at the unknown woman. You cannot remember if you have ever seen her wear a smile that did not carry a smirk before.

“Como sempre, Paty, como sempre,” she gives the older woman a loud peck on the cheek before turning to you. Her big feline eyes inspect you up and down.

“Who are you?” she asks you in English. Her words carry an accent you don’t recognize. The strong intonation of the /r/ giving her easily away.

You don’t wait for Rakepick to introduce you and tell her your name. You are not sure if telling complete strangers your real name is a good idea but you do it anyway. Much like everything you usually do. You elbow Penny beside you to follow suit.

“I’m Penny Haywood, nice to meet you,” The overly polite Penny nods downwards as sign of acknowledgement.

To this moment, Rakepick still hasn’t disclosed to you of your location.The trees are tall and green. The ground packed with tall green grass that reached well over your ankles. Ivy, vines and weed mounting over every single tree. The heat is mild, and humid, very unsettling to your soon sweat coated cloak.

“So, this are your protegés.” To you the dark skinned woman looks unimpressed. You can understand her; two youths just out of Hogwarts could hardly look particularly skilled.

“One of the best talents of their generation, they wouldn’t be here otherwise.” This is the first time you hear Patricia Rakepick compliment you. Your chest swells with pride. Your mentor-apprentice relationship is complicated, but hearing her confess she thinks so highly of you gave you a sense of accomplishment.

“We see about that,” Her accent is thick, and latin.

“Excuse me, where are we, exactly?” You wanted to add ‘and what are we supposed to be doing here’ but her incredulous stare cut your question mid-sentence. You grab into the hem of Penny’s robe instinctively. Her eyes were big and piercing, as if she could go through you. Like a big cat rounding a prey waiting the exact moment to attack.

“Paty, you do not tell?” She puts her hands over her hips. It made your crack smile. Someone lashing out at Rakepick, not everyone got to see that.

“We left early ‘cause one of their messages got intercepted. Of course, I did not tell them.” you exchange glances with Penny. Did she message Charlie or her family? Was that the reason why Rowan never answered your owl? You feel foolish all of a sudden. You could recognize Penny’s own regret across her face as well.

“That happen when you involve crianças!” She points a long manicured long finger at you, wild hair bopping over her head. You don’t understand what she means and you wonder whether you should feel insulted or not.

She closes her eyes as if to regain her composure before turning to you, “We are in the Amazônia, and follow you shall.” Her cloak twirls dramatically after her once she gives her back to you.

Your adventure had taken an unexpected turn. If you are not mistaken, you are now on the other part of the Atlantic. You give Penny a sideway glance to see her as awestruck as you felt.

“Ah, I almost forget. My name is Maria Aparecida Oliveira, you can call me Maria,” Her hair bops as she walks.

“Professor Oliveira,” Interjects Rakepick.

You do not listen into the following quarrel as you are too taken aback to process what you are witnessing. You are in the middle of some jungle, right in the heart of some mystery, and you could not wait to figure it out.

AN: I know. A long hiatus. I know the chapter is short. I know, it is a transition chapter. It just took everything in me to have the courage to have the fic head this way. But this fic is out of my control now. As in, it writes itself and it wants to follow road. I hope everyone enjoy. Special thanks to my lovely beta, @lucknight, who helped me a lot, particularly on things with Brazil. A lovely person, really.

You can always find it on Ao3. Look for the link on my fanfic masterpost on my tumblr. Thank you for reading, and I hope to hear from you!

xOxO, lycopene

#penny haywood #penny haywood x mc #hogwarts mystery #hphm #jacob's sibling #jacob's sibling x penny haywood

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outlawnurse · 6 years

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He Insists - Chapter II

A RDR2 Modern AU Written by: @ninja-nurse, Inspired by: @heart-of-gold-outlaw, and with special thanks to @ceruleanchillin

Warning: Language, Violence, Spoilers

"Where's the other one?" Arthur asked Sophia, coldly. She raised her eyebrows, "The other what?" "Marston sister?" "I have no idea." Sophia shook her head, "The last time I saw her, I was going to bed, and she was drunk dancing with Sean by the fire." He nodded, remembering seeing the same thing. "Why are you looking for her?" He seemed confused by the question, "I don't... I just wanted to make sure she was doing ok. She was pretty drunk last night, and seemed ... sad." "She's literally like a hundred a fifty years younger than you." "I thought she was thirty-seven?" He scratched the back of his head. She shook her head, taking her coffee back to her tent, "Keep your syphilis to yourself, cowboy." "What did I say?" Arthur put his arms up, somewhat hurt, "I don't even have syphilis." He turned to head back to his tent and saw the woman stumble out of the woods. He walked over to her, "Are you ok?" She looked at him, fixing her skirt, "Do you have any idea how hard it is to pee with this skirt on?" "I can't say that I do." He shook his head, trying to to laugh at the woman. "...and why are there so many layers to this thing. What is even happening right now?" "Are you still drunk?" "No!" She snorted out, finally looking up at him. He just looked at her. "Yes." She let out a nasally giggle, as she walked toward the table, sitting down, "I think we stopped drinking like ... just when the sun came up." He snickered, "Would you like some coffee?" "I would love some coffee, Arthur Morgan. Yes, I would." She stretched her arms out across the table, laying her head down. He shook his head, walking away. "Is she ok?" Hosea asked, seeing the woman laying across the table. Arthur shook his head, as he prepared the coffee, "She's still drunk from last night." "She's not the only one." Abigail rolled her eyes, joining them. Arthur looked to see John passed out in his tent. He shook his head. Hosea sighed, "They had quite a shocking couple of days. I can't imagine that Caitlin would have ever imagined getting to meet her great great grandparents." Abigail sighed, "I was talking a lot with Sophia last night. She doesn't seem to know as much about us as Caitlin does, but they both seem like good girls." "I suppose she has a heavy burden to bear." Arthur was intrigued by the woman, "She knows ... everything." "Could you ever imagine knowing what happens before it does, good or bad, not being able to do anything about it?" Abigail shook her head. The two men looked over at the woman. "What does he want?" Arthur grumbled, as Micah walked toward the woman. "Easy, son." "I don't like him, and more importantly I don't like how much she doesn't like him." He gestured, "What does she know?" Hosea shrugged, "I don't... I don't know, Arthur, but you need to try to at very least be civil with him." "Me?" He gasped, almost childishly, "Tell him!" The man walked over to the table, seeing the woman lay there. He ran his hand across her back, "Good morning, sunshine." She smiled to herself, opening her eyes, slowly, "Good morn...." She gasped, seeing the man, trying to stand up, only to fall out of the chair with a thud. The man laughed, "You are a little drunken mess, aren't you?" "I can do it myself." She snapped, slapping his hand away, as he tried to help her up. "I'm just trying to help you." "I don't need your help." She held on to the table for balance, as she stood up. "What is your problem?" "I don't like you." "You don't even know me!" "I knew enough." "Someone tell Marston he better come and get his girl!" Micah barked.

Arthur and Hosea looked up quickly, as did several of the others. "Why is he messing with her? It's too damn early for his shit." Arthur growled. Hosea looked at him.

"Fuck you." She pushed him. Enraged, the man grabbed the girl by the throat. She put her hands on the man's wrist, scared for her life. "Not so tough now, are we, sweetheart?" He laughed. "Cait!" Sophia gasped, coming out of the tent to see what the commotion was. "Let her go." Arthur clenched his teeth, aiming the gun at the man's head, as he walked toward them. He pushed the woman away from himself, causing her to fall to the ground. Arthur holstered his gun, punching the man in the face, "If you ever put your hands on her again, I will fucking kill you." Abigail helped Caitlin up, Sophia walked over, "Are you ok?" "I'm fine." She was still angry. "You're going to regret this, Morgan." Micah sneered. "I doubt it." He shook his head.

She took a step toward Micah, as the man walked away, only to have Arthur grab her arm. "No." He looked at her. "He..." "No." He pointed to her. "You should have let him hang in Strawberry!" "Yeah, well..." She tried to pry Arthur's fingers from her arm, as his grip, "Let me go!" He let go of her arm, "Are you done?" She nodded. "Caitlin, what was the one goddamn thing I told you to do?" Sophia yelled at the woman. She looked up suddenly, "Uh oh! Mom's mad!" "You're still drunk?" "You're still mothering me?" "I wouldn't mother you if you didn't need mothering." She snapped, "You've been perpetually drunk since mom died." "I have not!" "You have. You need to get your fucking shit together. You're going to get yourself killed." "I'm fine!" "He literally almost just killed you!" "No, he didn't." She waved her hand in the man's direction. "So... What... He was choking you for funsies?" "You know what, Sophia..." "Yeah... You're a Marston alright." Arthur grabbed Caitlin's arm again, having enough of the girls' bickering, pulling her toward her tent, "Go sleep it off." "I..." "Go." He lead her to the tent, gently pushing her inside, "You'll be fine, girl." "Arthur..." She stood with her hands on her hips. "Good night." He pulled the flaps closed.

"Is she always like that?" Arthur asked, as the woman reminded her of John. "Hot headed and stubborn?" Sophia rolled her eyes, "I mean, yes, but it has gotten worse since our mother died." They just looked at her. She nodded, "Our Grandpa Arthur died eight years ago and our father seven years ago ... I don't think she ever fully dealt with all that. She was very close to them. She's just always so... angry." "Grandpa Arthur, huh?" Hosea smirked, looking at Arthur. She nodded, looking at Arthur, "Jack named his son after you." The man stood a little taller, smiling, puffing his chest out with pride. "I suppose he never really forgot about you." "Why would he forget me?" Arthur asked, almost child-like, "Where would I go?" "I-I, uh... I should go... check on Cait..." Sophia walked away. Arthur just watched her walk away, wondering what his future held for him. *One Month Later*

It has been a month since the girls appeared on the side of the road outside of Valentine. They had both settled comfortably into camp, doing their part to help with chores, but tried their best not to interfere with their lives.

"Do you miss home?" Mary-Beth asked. Caitlin shrugged, "I guess. I don't know. I mean... My sister is all I have left, and I have her here with me, so... I guess not." "You two are close?" "We always have been." "Less chat and more work, ladies." Susan ordered, as the two women were doing laundry. They looked at each other, chuckling. "Will you miss this when you're gone?" "Doing laundry?" She looked at the girl curiously, "You know we still have laundry in my time." The girl laughed, "No, I mean... Living like this... Here... with all of us." "More than you know." Caitlin said. Sophia walked by, dropping a pile of clothes on the ground, "Miss Grimshaw wanted me to give this to you." "Of course she did." Caitlin rolled her eyes, wiping the sweat from her forehead.

*That Afternoon*

Abigail spoke with Susan, "I'm worried about the girls." She just looked at her. "Caitlin looks so sad all the time, and Sophia... She misses home so much. I know there's a trip into town today for supplies. I thought maybe it would be a good idea for them to go... to get out of camp for a bit." "I think that's a great idea." She nodded.

"Sophia!" She called out, "Caitlin!" Arthur looked toward Susan, then at the girls, as he sat in his open tent, looking through his journal. John shook his head, eating a bowl of stew at the table, "No one escapes the wrath of Susan Grimshaw." "I did my chores, Susan!" Caitlin pointed at her, "You're not gonna get me today!" Sophia laughed. Susan smiled, "I know you did, dear, and I also appreciate you helping Mr. Pearson with the food the last couple weeks. I have to tell you that it's been tasting much better." "Thank you." She smiled, "Which reminds me, we're running low on spices." "I've asked Arthur to pick some fresh ones while he's out." "Arthur Morgan," Caitlin joked, "outlaw, gunslinger, spice picker! My hero!" They laughed at her. "Well, you're in a good mood today." Arthur released his ever elusive smile. She looked back at him, "I am, Mr. Morgan. Thanks for noticin'." He nodded, looking back at his cards. "Ladies, Mr. Williamson and I are going into Valentine for some supplies. I thought you would like you join us." "Sure." Sophia nodded, "It'll be nice to get out of here for a while." "Alright." Susan nodded, "Mr. Williamson, are we ready?" "Yes, ma'am." He said, as he finished hitching the horses to the wagon. "You two behave yourselves." John called out. "Yes, Grandpa John." Caitlin waved. Arthur let out a snort, as John smiled, "Grandpa John." "Shut up!" He snapped, at his friend, his smiled turning into a sneer. Sophia snickered, "He's younger than us right now." "That's what makes it so funny!" Caitlin laughed at herself.

The two girls looked around the general store, as Bill loaded the wagon. "I have a present for you girls." Susan said. They looked at each other, then at her. "I know you've been stuck wearing those pieced together outfits for the past month. I thought it would be nice if you each had a dress of your own." "You don't have to do that." Sophia shook her head. "I know." She said, "I want to. You girls are so far from home, and are burdened with so much. I thought it would cheer you up a bit." "Thank you!" The girls said, together.

The two tried several dresses on, finally settling on ones they liked. Sophia held up the purple and white dress, whispering, "Do you think we can keep them when we go home?" "I hope so!" Caitlin said, holding the blue dress up to herself, looking in the mirror. "Can I wrap those for you, ladies?" The store keeper asked. "Yes." Caitlin handed him her dress, "Thank you." "Thank you." Sophia nodded, as the man took the dress from her.

Bill walked in as Susan paid for the dresses, "The wagon is all packed. Should we head back?" The woman nodded, "We'll be out in one minute." "Ok."

"I know you ladies would probably like to go home, but it's been nice having you here." Susan said, "I always appreciate the extra help with chores, and you two really carry your own weight." They both smiled, politely. "It's also been good for John. I never thought that boy would grow up, but he's really starting to take his responsibilities seriously. He's been spending more time with Abigail and Jack, and he's been keeping up on his chores. It's good." Bill laughed, "I have to say, I'm impressed with you girls too. You've been here this long and haven't run, screaming for the hills yet." "It's not so bad." Caitlin shrugged. "Well, I don't know how long we've got ya for," Bill said, "but it's nice to have ya. I'm gonna be sad to see ya go when the time comes." "Thank you, Mr. Williamson." Sophia smiled, "We'll miss you too." Caitlin smiled politely, but it faded quickly, as she rolled her eyes. Sophia looked at her, questioningly, whispering, as Susan and Bill spoke in the front of the wagon, "Do you know something about him that I don't?" She nodded, not saying what she knew. Sophia sat up, "No wonder you're miserable. You know too goddamn much." "You think?"

They arrived back at camp and immediately started unpacking the wagon. "We've trained all our lives for this." Sophia said, "All those times mommy and daddy went food shopping and made us carry in all the bags and put everything away." "Miss Marston," Pearson called to her, "There's no more room in my wagon, you'll have to put..." Caitlin put her hand up, "Worry not, Mr. Pearson. I will tetris the shit out of your wagon. It'll all fit." "Tetris?" He repeated, "I don't... understand." "No, she's like the queen of getting things to fit in spaces they shouldn't." "That's what she said." Caitlin chuckled to herself. Sophia laughed. "That's what who said?" "What?" "You said, 'that's what she said', but who said that?" "No, Mr. Pearson, it's... No one said it." She hopped down from his wagon, after some rearranging, "It's just a thing people say." "I don't think I understand this future world of yours." "Yeah." Sophia shook her head, "We don't either."

As the girls walked back to their tent, Dutch called over to them. "Would you ladies care for a game of poker?" "I'm good." Sophia shook her head, "I'm not much of a card player." "I'll play." Caitlin shrugged, "I don't really have any money though." "I'll lend you a couple of dollars to start." Dutch pat the chair beside him, "Come. Sit."

She looked around the table, as Hosea and Micah turned in their cards from the last game. "I never met me a real lady that could beat me at poker." Micah said. "Something tells me you've never spent much time around a real lady, Mr. Bell." She retorted. "I had a woman once." He sat a little taller. "Whores don't count." She raised her eyebrow. "Hey!" He stood up, banging his hand on the table, pointing at her, "She was a good woman!" Arthur looked toward the table, hearing the man's voice. Caitlin put her hands up, "My bad..." Dutch looked at the two, "Are we going to have a problem here?" Micah clenched his jaw, "No, Dutch. Of course not." "I'll deal." Hosea said.

They played a few hands. Caitlin studied the men, looking for any sign of bluffing. She decided to play the hand she was dealt. She looked at the cards. She held a two of diamonds and a seven of clubs. They all placed their bets before Hosea turned the first three cards over on the table. It was the queen of hearts, the ten of spades, and the nine of hearts. Her face remained unchanging. They all bet again and the forth card was placed on the table. It was the four of spades. After one more round of betting, the final card was placed on the table. It was the two of hearts. "I fold." Dutch dropped his cards on the table. "Fold." Hosea shook his head. "Well, how about you future girl?" "I'll call and raise you a dollar." She dropped money into the pot. He grinned, "I'm all in, baby." She nodded, pushing the rest of her coins in. He grew nervous. Dutch and Hosea leaned in closer. "Ladies first." "A pair of twos." She laid her cards down. "Oh, my..." Hosea looked at her, "Caitie, dear, that's not...." "Son of a bitch!" Micah threw his cards down. Dutch looked at them, "You went all in with nothing?" "I thought she was bluffing and would fold." "I was!" She let out a squeal, "Ah ha ha! I won!" "This is horse shit!" Micah stormed away from the table. Caitlin sorted the money, "Here's what I borrowed from you, Mr. Van der Linde, and here is a bit of interest." "Thank you, my dear. It's been a pleasure doing business with you." "...and also with you." She bowed her head to him, stuffing the coins in her dress pocket. Lenny walked over to the table, "Have a good ride, Arthur!" "Yup." He called back. He looked at the table, "Y'all got room for one more at this little party?" “Where’s he going?” Cait watched Arthur tacking up his horse. “He’s going on a job for Strauss.” Lenny said, as he took Micah's seat, “Apparently this man owes him money, and he wants Arthur to shake him down.” “What man?” “Downes I think?” He shrugged, “I don’t know.” "Thomas Downes?" "That sounds about right." Lenny looked up at the woman, "He's got a farm West of... Valentine. Where's she going?" Caitlin’s heart sank, “No!” She took off running, before Lenny could finish his sentence. Sophia looked up, as she chat with Javier at the camp fire. “Arthur! Wait!” She yelled, as he mounted the stallion.

The entire camp looked up, hearing the urgency and desperation in the woman's voice. “Ssssssshit!” Sophia stood up, mumbling under her breath. Arthur looked at the woman, almost amused by her urgency, “Hey, girl, what’s gotten into you?” She held the horse’s reins in one hand, putting the other hand on his leg, “You can’t go!” He felt her small fingers gripping his ankle tightly. He grinned, but after seeing the look of terror on her face, the grin faded away. “Cait!” Sophia called after her. “I won’t be gone long.” He looked at her curiously, "A day or two at most." “Please. I’m begging you.” Her eyes filled with tears, “Don’t go. Don’t go on this job. Just let him be. I’ll ... I’ll pay the debt. I’ll do anything. Please, just don't...” His brow furrowed, suddenly feeling uneasy.

They all looked at her. Abigail looked at Tilly, grabbing her arm, "Get John." She nodded, rushing down the path, as the man was guarding the camp. It was only a minute before the two came running back. John handed Abigail his rifle, "Keep the boy here.” She nodded.

“Caitlin!” Sophia scowled, “What do you think you’re doing?” “I can’t let him... He can’t go!” “You can’t interfere.” She pushed the girl hard. She fell to the ground, “Just give me this one.... I promise I won’t get involved in anything else!” “What’s he to you anyway?” She gestured toward the man. She shook her head, crying, unable to speak.

Arthur dismounted the horse, standing behind the arguing women as John came over, “Your girls are out of control, Marston.” John shook his head, "What the hell is going on?"

“Please... just.... let this happen, ok?” Caitlin cried out, "I swear I won't interfere anymore. I won't! Please." Sophia threw her hands up, walking away, “Whatever.” “You don’t understand.” Caitlin gasped out, calling after her, suddenly realizing everyone was staring at her, “I’m not crazy!” "No one thinks your crazy." Arthur shook his head. "I mean, she's a little..." Micah gestured to his own head, twirling his finger. "Piss off, Micah." Charles snapped standing beside the man. John sighed, “Come here, Sweetheart.” She cried into his chest, as the man knelt in front of her. He smoothed her hair. She pulled away sniffling, “Mr. Morgan... Arthur, please promise me you will leave Thomas Downes alone. You can’t go after him. You can't go anywhere near him. I will pay the debt. I will figure out a way to make money and pay back Strauss myself. Please, just... Promise me?” John looked at Arthur. Arthur's gaze shifted from the woman, to John, to the rest of the camp, then back to Caitlin. She stood up, still crying, “Please?” “I won’t.” He said, nervously, “I promise.” She flung herself into his arms, hugging him tightly, around his neck, clutching at his shirt, as if to bring him closer to her. He looked stunned, his arms out. His whole body tensed, but relaxed as he wrapped his arms around her, “Sssh. It’s ok. You're alright.” Leopold looked worriedly toward Reverend Swanson, “What does that girl know?” “Everything.” He said, calmly.

“What have you done?” Sophia pushed her sister hard, again, after joining her in their tent. “I can’t let him go there! It’s a death sentence.” “Caitlin, you’re changing too much of the past.” “I can’t let him die!” “We all have to die sometime." Sophia put her arms out, "You saving him now doesn't change the fact that he won't be there when we go home." "...but maybe I can give him a better life." "A better life?" Sophia shook her head, "Listen, I’m so sorry that you fell in love with him. I truly am, but you need to stop interfering.” “They deserve better than what happened to them.” “They’re criminals. They knew what they were getting themselves into. Do you think they were sorry when they robbed that ferry in Blackwater? Do you think Dutch was sorry when he killed that woman? Do you think Arthur was sorry when he pointed his gun in your face the day we got here?" “Arthur was fourteen when Dutch took him in. John was twelve.” She said, “They were children. They didn’t know any better. You think Dutch is going to let them walk away? That man is slowly losing his goddamn mind.” “...and you’re not too far behind him.” Sophia stormed out. She stopped suddenly, seeing John standing on the opposite side of the tent. “Are you ok?” She just walked by him, saying nothing. "Give them a little time, son." Hosea said. John lowered his head, walking away.

*Late That Night*

Arthur tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep, unable to stop thinking about the woman, and how desperate she was to keep him from going on that job. He couldn't help but wonder what she was trying to protect him from today. He looked out, seeing a figure standing near the cliff side.

Caitlin wrapped her arms around herself, as she stood, looking into the darkness. She could hear coyotes in the distance. "There she is." She closed her eyes, as she heard the voice behind her. "You ok?" He asked, standing beside her. She nodded, slowly. "You wanna talk about it?" "I made a fool of myself today." She said, "I had a complete meltdown in front of everyone." "No one thinks any less of you, darlin'." She was quiet, unable to look at the man. He couldn't stop looking at her, "Why didn't you want me to go on that job?" She looked at him, her cheeks streaked with tears, "I can't tell you." He sighed, feeling as though he knew the answer. He cupped her jaw with his hands, wiping the tears away with his thumbs. His heart broke seeing the pain in her eyes. There was something about this woman from the future, the great great granddaughter of his friend John Marston, that mesmorized him. He kissed her on the cheek, still holding her face, "Thank you for saving me." She looked up at him, her heart pounding in her chest. He looked at her for a minute, before pressing his lips to hers. She looked up at him, before resting her head on his chest, as he hugged her, his arms wrapped tightly around her neck, as she put her arms around his waist.

To Be Continued…………

#red dead redemption #red dead redemption 2 #rdr #rdr2 #arthur morgan #john marston #micah bell #modern au #fanfiction #fanfic #spoilers

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yvcttes-blog · 6 years

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check me out, sliding my intro in here like i haven’t been slacking hard and wasting my time watching youtube videos... ANYWAYS. hello doves! i’m vee (she/her) and i’m hyped af. fair warning, if you plot with me i will come at you with head canons at any point of the day. probably in all caps. and if you’ve read this, we kinda have to plot or gush about our muses ok. i don't make the rules.

if your lazy like me and you want the cheat version and just the bare bones basics, just scroll your cute butt to the bottom and i’ve have some bullet points so you get the just of it, yeah?

if your brave and you wanna get to the dirty details, i wrote a little (actually it’s huge ok) bio thing for her but honestly, feel free to skip this part because i went hard and it’s not short ok. it’s gonna take a hot minute. but it’s a little boujee bio so give yourselves a pat on the back if you managed to read it all.. bless you and your beautiful soul.

** also !! in case you’re confused, auto correct is the devil. her name is Yvette.

( ashley moore. cisfemale. she/her ) // oh god. was that ( yvette martin ) the ( caterer ) on set ? i heard everyone in valence studios calls them ( yve ) though, you should go and say hi because they’re pretty ( charismatic ) though i’ve been told they can also be ( enigmatic ). if anything, they’re known to be the ( reticent ). if i had to describe their story in six words it’ll be ( the cuts healed, her heart didn’t ).

I. YOU’RE THREE YEARS OLD. the memory is hazy; all blurred out edges and fabricated details at best. all you truly have is your parents colourful recollection to go by but here, this moment is the beginning of everything. you’re three years old and on your way to your very first dance class. it’s not terribly impressive. the dance studio is small and all assortments of children bounce around, their reflections doubling, tripping against the mirrored walls. your fingers curl in the fabric of your small tutu and giggles slip past your lips every time your ponytail swings round. they tell you feathery tales of how your eyes lit up like stars and how the grin stay plastered to your face for hours to come. they talk about how even after one class, you knew you only wanted to dance. II. YOU’RE SIX YEARS OLD. america; the land of opportunities, they say. clutching tight to your sister’s hand, you step off the plane and into what is to be your knew home. it’s louder and busier then france ever was. the language is hard and clipped and gratingly foreign to your ears. it’s horrible at first; your heart so desperately wishing it could go back, go home, but your mother wipes your tears and promises you a better world, a new life. your young mind begins to soak up the foreign tongue like a sponge, your toes find purchase on a new dance floor and you surround yourself with new friends. america as it turns out, is not as bad as you thought. III. YOU’RE TWELVE YEARS OLD. words like ‘exotic’ and ‘reclusive’ are thrown around. they are much more preferable to the ones whispered behind your back. teenagers, you discover, are far more cruel then their young souls ought to be. you’re different from your classmates, your skin is darker and your hair wilder and your eyes are not the colour of summer grass but rather of freshly ground soil. you’re an easy target, or so they believe. you don’t have time to hang out after school or swap chatter over reality television during breaks. your days are littered with school work and your nights are spent perched on pointe, trying to make the seemingly impossible look as natural as breathing. your toes bleed, your skin blooms with angry bruises and your muscles scream for mercy, but you tape up your cuts and ice your bruises and do it all over again. you tell yourself that it doesn’t matter what you’ve had to sacrifice, it doesn’t matter that your childhood friends have abandoned you because you’re a dancer. this is the price you pay to be great. IV. YOU’RE FIFTEEN YEARS OLD. julliard comes knocking at your door. a school revered for it’s dance program, for training the very best of the best and they want you. they extend an invitation to fly to new york for their prestigious summer program; to train with their teachers, to learn and impress and dance on the very stage that produced legends. you can’t say yes fast enough, can’t pack your bags fast enough. it’s a strain on finances and a gruelling test on your body, but every compliment thrown your way makes it all worth while. next year, there will be a spot waiting for you. you’re heaving on the floor, spent and drained but you feel as though you’re about to be split open and stuffed to the brim with blazing sunshine. V. YOU’RE SIXTEEN YEARS OLD. it all ends with a bang. with a crunch. with the deafening sound of metal and glass and pure devastation all mashed together. it’s an accident, or that’s what they tell you. an eighteen wheeler ran off the road and straight into your car. they tell you it was instant, that she felt no pain in an attempt to make it somehow easier to swallow. not even the drugs pulsing through your veins can quell the shattering of your heart, your soul. your sister is gone. you survived, left with nothing but screws in your knee and a titanium rod connecting the bones in your leg. one broken ballerina cursed with bones made of tin. this is not how the story goes. VI. you begin to know the inside of hospital walls as well as most girls know their favourite malls. the smell of antiseptic, the bleach white walls and the cooing sounds of nurses soon becomes the soundtrack to your days. it’s horribly uncomfortable, trying to reteach your body how to do something that was once so innate. with every bend, every stretch, it’s a struggle not to wince, not to grimace in pain. breaking in pointe shoes is preferable to this suffering. no one said rebuilding your body would be easy, but they also never told you just how hard it would be. you break and break and break again but somehow, some way you get back up. eventually you stop cringing so often. eventually the exercises become easier. you can move freely now, gaining back an almost full range of motion. you add in weights and you start testing the limits of this body of yours that feels brand new and yet impossible old all at the same time. VII. they always told you that if your work hard enough, if you want something bad enough, you can do anything. they don’t tell you how cruel this world can be. because while your doctor clears you to dance again, he only does so after strapping a ball and chain to your ankles. yes you can dance, but not like you used to. never like you used to. your knee can’t handle the strain, they said. the pressure and utter perfection ballet demands is much too big for a broken body to handle. julliard rescinds it’s offer; they are in the business of dancers and you are no longer what they need. scholarships vanish along with everything that made you who you were. and just like that, your dream has slipped forever out of your grasp. you are shards of a shattered doll, carelessly glued back together in an abstract picture of what once was. whole once more but forever broken. VIII. YOU’RE SIXTEEN YEARS OLD. your family is fractured. your father can’t look at your mother without seeing the daughter he lost and your mother can’t look at you without being reminded of the child she’ll never see. your father tells you that it will get better, that your mother can’t help it, that he will always love you. he talks of your sisters death like it’s the weight of the world, crushing the bones in atlas’ back. you want to scream, want to cry because you’re hurting too but no one seems to hear it. but grief is a festering wound and no amount of settlement money can stitch it back together. your parents never stop fighting. your mother can never quite look you in the eyes, can’t stand to be around you for more then a few fleeting moments. your father moves out because he can’t stand the inside of your family home anymore. the divorce is only the last nail in the coffin. you’re all that’s left when the dust settles. IX. YOU’RE SEVENTEEN YEARS OLD. try, just try. words your therapist whispers over and over again. those delicate balcony doors leaning towards a ballet career have been chained shut but you can’t seem to tear yourself away from them, to turn your back on the dream you lost. try, she says. a women like you can not survive without passion. she pushes and prods and demands more and more from you, prying you open with the bend of a crowbar, with the sharp edges of a blade. try. so you do. if only out of spite at first, if only to shove each failure back into her face. you can’t find the stillness required to get through a book or the fine tuned ear to create symphonies in your mind and you’re certainly no artist either. but eventually you stumble into the kitchen. there is a strange sense of calm you discover amongst the pots and pans, an innate rhythm your body seems to fall into. it’s almost a dance, for lack of a better word. it’s something. X. YOU’RE EIGHTEEN YEARS OLD. you haven’t swapped one dream for another. that’s not how this passion thing works. but you’ve found a place to take refuge, a place to quiet the raging of a restless soul like yours. you’ve always been good in the kitchen, but now you’re becoming great. mixing and crushing and blending ingredients together feels a bit like breaking apart choreography. soaking up steps in the form of skills and designing routines has morphed into crafting recipes. it’s individual ingredients and steps that weave together to create something like art. no, not something like it. art. and for the first time in a long time, you find yourself wanting again. XI. YOU’RE NINETEEN YEARS OLD. your father is getting married again. he extends the invite like a bouquet of wilting daisies. he’s still your father, he always will be, or at least those are the words he whispers to you. but he’s found a new life. he’s moving on and crafting a future with someone new and you will always be a chapter in his past. you haven’t spoken to your mother in what feels like forever; of course she doesn’t come to the ceremony. you’re father grins brilliantly and all his guests cheer because he’s finally getting a second chance to do this family thing right. that night you don’t weep at the edge of your sister’s grave, the tears won’t come. instead it feels like the bitter end to something that had broke long again. it’s just you now. XII. YOU’RE TWENTY YEARS OLD. you’re working in a food truck when the offer comes. you’ve worked long and hard and absorbed as much knowledge as you can from your superiors but you’ve got your own truck now. she’s a customer you’ve seen a few times now, always coming back for more and more despite the hurried way she seems to gulp down each helping of food. instead of shouting her order up at the open window, she lingers, only approaching when the mass of customers has finally died down. she offers you a job, catering for a network she represents. the hours are longer but the pay is better and the menu is yours to create. you jumps at the chance. XII. YOU’RE TWENTY ONE YEARS OLD. your days are filled with vibrancy and noise and an array of flavours so bold it’s a struggle to keep the excitement at bay. you get the freedom to experiment and the challenge of creating for a multitude of artists. you’re days are louder then life but your nights take on a quieter note. despite the livelihood of the day, you retreat back to an empty apartment. some nights are harder then others; when the silence is particularly heavy and the weight of it all presses down hard enough to make your bones splinter. on those nights you wonder if you’re too far gone to come back. your leg still twinges when the temperature drops and your skin is still riddled with scars but you’re moving and you’re creating and feeling and that is enough for now. it has to be enough.

OKAY QUICKIE INFO:

she’s a frenchie. born in france but she moved to america when she was six so she’s got that bilingual life.

she’s a cateror for the show, so when you’re hungry and craving all the goodies, she’s your girl ok.

she used to be a ballet dancer and a really fucking good one.

when she was sixteen, her and her sister got into a car accident and while she survived, her sister didn’t. it really messed up her leg and she ended up needing to get screws in her knee and a metal rod in her leg. and while she spent months doing physical therapy and rebuilding her strength, she just wasn’t able to dance the way she used to.

she discovered her love for food through baking. she got into it while she was in physio and it really became a peaceful comfort for her. and after losing dance, it was the only way she could create art again, you know?

she’s damaged goods, like we all are. but she’s got all the basics you know. trust issues. broken family. broken heart. all the good stuff.

she’s the type to talk a lot but say nothing you know? she’s really good at deflecting conversations and basically revealing nothing too personal about herself.

sarcasm and self deprecating humour is her thing.

basically. she’s lonely as fuck. but only admits it to herself.

#valenceintro #it's finally here!#look at my haux ass being so extra

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warmau · 7 years

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Ranch!AU x VIXX [1/2]

LR just had their comeback, and im hoping for a full vixx one soon!!! plus i feel like i have to polish my vixx writing skils, so here’s this cute horse ranch au!! may or may not do the younger line depending on if people want it ^^

Hakyeon

has a show jumping past,,,,dabbled in dressage and was coached to be part of the olympic team

owns a grey dutch warmblood named hyde

quit show jumping after he decided that scene just wasn’t for him,,,,granted he looked amazing in the uniform,,,and was going to be a home favorite for the olympic team,,,,something about it just didn’t sit right with him

so he officially retired himself and hyde

and brought him out to live on a nice, spacious ranch

you’ve known about hakyeon ever since he started renting out a stable for hyde, especially since people all gossip about how ‘oh, he apparently broke a foot and that’s why he stopped performing’ or ‘heard he had a fight with the main coach’ ,,,, it was hard for you NOT to know him

but upon seeing him for the first time, tall and looking like some kind of regal prince,,,,,yet speaking so softly to his horse

you’d always assumed,,,,there was no way any of those rumors about him were true,,,,you could tell easily that hakyeon had made his decision not just for himself - but for hyde

and yeah ok you’ll admit it,,, you’ve always thought seeing him show jump again would be AMAZING,,,, but unlike others who’d push the suggestion on him and annoy him till no end

you just decided that you’d pine from afar,,,,enjoying being able to be in the same damn barn as him out of all things

until,,,,you were working late with one of the new rescue horses and you - for the first time - saw hakyeon leading hyde out to the pasture - all saddled up

and you were like,,,,,is this 4 real,,,,,,so of course you had to go see

and to your shock (and utter excitement) hakyeon was wearing riding boots, and climbing up into the saddle,,,,patting the side of hyde’s mane

and,,,,right in front of your eyes,,,, you could see a glimpse of the jumper hakyeon,,,,with perfect posture and a focused expression

and when he and hyde set off,,,,,, jumping over one of the barrels of hay ever so effortless,,,you couldn’t help but have the instinct to clap

except,,,the noise gave you away and turning hyde back around hakyeon trotted his way over to you

“trying to sneak a peek?”

he asked casually and you felt the embarrassment creep up into your cheeks.

“n,,,no!! sorry, i just know you’re this great performer and so is hyde and i just,,,,wanted to see,,,,”

hakyeon manages to keep a straight face for a couple seconds before breaking out into a chuckle.

“it’s fine, no need to be nervous. how did we look out there, amazing i assume?”

you nod so fast you’re scared you might crack your neck,,,you’ve never seen a rider and a horse look so good together like he and hyde do,,,,and you just mumble that the jump looked so elegant - no wonder he was going to be an olympic champ

hakyeon shrugs, swinging one leg over and hoping out of the saddle. he says something about wanting to see how it felt,,,,sometimes he misses it

you reach out to pet hyde’s muzzle and you can’t help but go,,, “im sorry to ask,,,,because im sure people never stop bugging you, but,,,,why did you stop-?”

hakyeon takes a deep breath. he combs his hand through hyde’s mane and shrugs.

“horses don’t deserve to be trapped in some small, noisy barn full of people that care more about some trophy than they do the animal. they deserve the outdoors, space to run around, and love. i wanted to give hyde all of that.”

you turn to look at him,,, his gorgeous side profile looks elegant against the back drop of the setting sun

he smiles, meeting his gaze with yours “and to do that, i had to bring him here.”

you feel your heart wrench just a bit,,,that hakyeon gave up something that must have promised him so much because he loved his horse,,,,,

you don’t know why but you nod and reach out to put a hand over his “hyde’s lucky.”

you realize how corny you sound after you say it,,,,so you pull back and try to hide your face

but hakyeon can’t forget it, he reaches over and ruffles your hair “he is, and he knows it. want to watch us do a couple more jumps?”

you agree happily and you watch them for a while longer

at some point hakyeon rides past you, winks and shouts that ‘this jump is just for you’

you don’t admit it,,,but it makes your heart do a little spin and,,,,you’re pretty sure hakyeon can tell you’re flustered (cuz he totally did it on purpose duh)

Ken

kind of a wannabe jockey,,,,kind of too broke to own his own horse LOL

is absolutely in love with this palomino paint horse who belongs to a rich, snobby kid whose never around

like the kid doesn’t even know the horses name,,,,,actually complained about it once because ‘love equation’ sounded to cheesy

but ken adORES it like a horse named love equation??? that’s so ken please

he always talks about how one day he’s gonna get off this ranch and make money being sponsored for his sport and he’s gonna BUY love equation from that brat

and everyone is like uhuh,,,,sure,,,,because all he is rn is a stable hand like HOW will he ever

but you,,,,believe in ken because you’ve never met someone so god damn ambitious and positive

and you two always end up with the messier jobs, like cleaning out barns and hauling feed,,,,,but you get through it because ken makes you laugh

sharing candy sitting up where they keep the hay and listening to him talk about his dreams,,,,,,,,it gives you energy

but there’s one thing about ken that you know gets him in trouble - and it’s the fact that he really,,,,,,literally,,,,,,,, can’t keep himself away from love equation

as in you see him one afternoon sneaking the horse out for a ride through the trails and you’re like kENNETH

and he’s like o H whats up didn’t see you there im totally not smuggling love equation out for a ride ahahaha,,,,,,,,,,,,dont-tell-anyone-please

you stare at him wide eyed because,,,,,,really,,,,,,,is he really doing this

ken’s shoulders slump and he mumbles that he knOWS it looks bad,,,but love equation gets so antsy not being taken out and really his owner just doesn’t care so how is it fair-

and you’re like “once. just this once, im going to pretend i didn’t see anything.”

you’re sure ken’s eyes light up more intensely than the sun,,,,,which you did not know was capable,,,,but it is

he throws an arm around you, pulling you into a close hug and nuzzling the top of your head

“you’re the best, the BEST, i will never forget this and i owe you - how about i take you out tonight as a thanks!!!”

and you’re blushing,,,trying hard to keep it cool at the sudden contact

and when you pull away you’re like “it,,,it’s fine j-just go before anyone else sees you”

but ken doesn’t budge he just leans closer and is like “but really, i do want to take you out.”

your eyes widen,,, “like a-a date?”

“yup!!! and hey, ill pay for it all too since you’re keeping this little secret for me!”

you blink and stutter that ,,,, it’s ok,,,, just a date where you two can enjoy yourselves is something you’d rather want than an i-owe-you

ken nods,,,,thinking a bit but going “ok, then ill owe you something else - but i do want to take you on this date. and i want to pay. although keep it cheap because my hourly wage is nowhere near as high as it should be.”

,,,,,,,,,you and ken go on a cute date to a cute local bar,,,eat wings,,,,and ken puts his cowboy hat on you???? i think yes

Leo

is a trainer that works mainly with abused mare’s that are found straggling in the backwoods or that get left at the barn by past, unwilling owners

has been around horses since he was a kid,,,loves absolutely everything about them,,, can tell a horses’s breed, age, and comfortability with riders from like a mile away

actually does get competitive when it comes to winning a horses trust, which is why sanghyuk never lets him live down that fact that he broke his horse before leo could even try LOL,,,,sanghyuk voice: that’s right error only listens to me leo:,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,someone hold me back before i throw a horseshoe at this kid

but leo has always had a magic touch with horses,,,maybe it’s the way he speaks softly and full of care, the way he knows how to make the animal feel safe

which is why when someone brings in a emaciated, agitated morgan mare leo takes to her immediately

with all her pinned back ears, barring teeth, and bucking - leo works every single day with her

he doesn’t care about the danger she presents when he tries to approach, he doesn’t care that he’s out in the pasture with her for hours under the hot sun

and everyone tells him,,,,,she just can’t be broken,,,, but leo knows the truth

in reality, no one even wants to deal with her aside from him, no one even seems to notice that he’s taken to calling her “shangri la”, that he’s managed - with immense difficulty - to come closer and closer

not until you end up at the ranch,,,desperately running through the stables, begging someone to help you

you run directly into a broad chest and look up to see a pair of dark eyes staring you down

“im,,,, im looking for my mare,,,, someone said the ranch here found her??”

“,,,,,,,,what breed is she?”

“a morgan, she broke out of our stables when someone left the gate unlocked and ,,,, and she’s been gone,,, for months,,, ive searched everywhere oh my god have you seen her???”

leo stays quiet, usually he isn’t one to feel sympathy for people who lose their horses

but he can hear the urgency in your voice, the cracking pain when you talk about the companion you’ve lost

and after a moment he motions for you to come with him

hopeful, you follow him out and when you see her - you burst into tears because she’s here,,,,

“starlight!” you callout, practically tripping over yourself to get to the gate

leo watches curiously as the mare lifts it’s head and instead of spooking, running as far away from you as possible, she lets you approach

and leo watches in utter shock as you place your hands on her nose, pressing your forehead against her muzzle

shangri la,,,,or starlight as you call her,,,,doesn’t budge - doesn’t show any hint of agitation

when he comes closer he can hear you whispering apology after apology,,,,petting her gently and choking up on your words

when you turn,,,you thank leo for taking care of her,,,,,,,he nods, but you feel a slight hesitation between you two

you turn to look at starlight and then back at him and you go “have you ridden her?”

with a shake of his head you grin,,,,, “she’s not saddle trained. i rode her bareback.”

shock seems to settle on leo’s unchanging expression. you nod and ask if he would want to see,,,,,,a while later he returns with a bridle and a horse of his own

“are you going to ride with me?”

he hands you the bridle and then with an easy motion lifts himself up onto the horse he brought with him, comfortable he motions to the trials

“there’s an easy route we can take. i want to see how you and shangri la,,,,,,,,,,,,starlight pair up.”

you nod, and carefully, because it’s been a while,,,,you pull the bridle over her ears

as calm as ever, starlight lets you do as you used to and when you climb on her back she doesn’t even flinch

surprised, but satisfied leo gives you a small smile - a treasure not many can achieve

and he slowly tells you to stick close

he won’t admit it or anything but seeing your connection with starlight,,,,,it makes him believe that there are really people out there who loves horses as much as he does

and that he could get used to taking long trial rides with starlight,,,and of course with you

bonus: he wears the flannel shirt with the buttons open i gtg

231 notes · View notes

arplis · 4 years

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Arplis - News: 38 Fun Things to Do in Tucson, Arizona

With incredible outdoor adventures, some of the best Mexican food in the U.S. (yes, seriously!), and a vibrant nightlife, Tucson may just be the perfect weekend getaway. Oh, and did we mention Tucson has wonderfully warm temperatures in the wintertime?! (Fellow Midwesterners, take note!)

The population of Tucson is just over half a million people, making it feel like a relatively small city. But dont be fooled there are an incredible amount of things to do in Tucson!

While there are many things to do in the city itself, the real draw of Tucson is what lies beyond. The Sonoran Desert which surrounds Tucson, is one of the only places in the world to see the iconic saguaro cactus, after all.

Were walking you through the very best things to do in Tucson, Arizona from epic outdoor adventures to foodie experiences to nightlife for all ages.

Our Experience in Tucson

Im going to be honest: Until recently, Tucson wasnt on my radar at all. Instead, I pictured the Grand Canyon and cities like Phoenix, Sedona and Scottsdale when I thought of Arizona.

So when my parents booked a 2-week Airbnb rental in Tucson to escape Minnesotas frigid winter clutches, I asked them, What is there to do in Tucson?

The timing was uncanny, because a week after my parents booked their trip, we were contacted by Visit Tucson (the tourism board) to work on a campaign with them. And all of a sudden, a city I hadnt ever thought much about took center stage in my mind.

When we started planning our trip to Tucson, I truly started to realize why my parents had booked 2 weeks there. As it turns out, theres a lot to do in this southwestern city!

This info-packed guide is full of top tips, where to stay, what foods to try , and everything else you need to know about planning an incredible trip to Tucson.

Contents:

Things to do in Tucson:

Outdoor Activities in Tucson

Food & Nightlife in Tucson

Art, Culture & History in Tucson

Planning your trip to Tucson:

Best Tucson Weekend Itinerary

Best time to visit Tucson

Where to stay in Tucson

How to Get Around Tucson

What to pack for Tucson

Tucson Map

Disclosure: This trip and article was sponsored by Visit Tucson. As always, all opinions are 100% honest and completely our own. Additionally, this article contains affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy for more information.

Outdoor Adventures in Tucson

If you like getting outside, youll find your bliss in Tucson because there are so many outdoor adventures to be had in the area surrounding this city.

1. Go horseback riding in the desert

I am going to embarrass Ben for a minute while I tell you something about him few people know: Hes afraid of horses.

Hes looking over my shoulder as I type this and saying, Im not afraid, I just think theyre smart and strong, and we should respect them.

Yeah, okay whatever, Ben.

But to his credit, he agreed to go horseback riding on our trip to Tucson. (Ive been asking him for the last couple of years, and he finally gave in.)

And you know what? When I asked Ben what his highlight was from our trip to Tucson, the first thing out of his mouth was, horseback riding!. So even if youre not an experienced rider, Bens reaction should give you some encouragement.

It was hands down one of my favorite experiences in Tucson too! We were able to see places we never would have without being saddled up on John Wayne and Mac (names of our horses).

Bobbi, the owner of Houstons Horseback Riding, led our group along the trail. We crossed rivers, ducked beneath low-hanging trees, and trotted past giant saguaro cacti with mountains looming in the distance. The landscape changed throughout the 2-hour journey, and the pace was slow and steady (great for those of us who arent experienced riders).

The views we got right up next to the saguaros on top of the horses was completely different than the perspective wed get walking on the trail with our own two feet. It was surreal.

And after chatting with Bobbi, its clear how much passion she has for this work. She has been working with horses for nearly her entire life and has passed on her admiration for these beautiful creatures to her children who help run the show as well. I mean, with about 30 horses to care for, the more hands the better.

So not only will you have an amazing experience with the horses, but youre supporting a family run business. Win-win!

Hours: Trail rides start at 9 a.m and 2:30 p.m.

Cost: $85 for a 2 hour walking ride

Book Your Horseback Ride Here!

Are you an experienced rider? If youre no stranger to horseback riding, you can book a private ride where your guide will adjust the speed to suit your experience level.

2. Visit Saguaro National Park

Saguaro are the huge cacti that adorn the Arizona license plate and serve as an icon of Southwest USA. And there is a National Park just 30 minutes from downtown Tucson that is dedicated to their existence.

Before we delve into the best things to do in Saguaro National Park, lets start with the basics pronunciation.

Say it with me: suh-waa-row

Now you wont embarrass yourselves like we did. (Youre welcome!)

And because I am fascinated by these cacti, Im gonna entertain you with some fun facts about the saguaro:

They can live to be 150 years old (some even are said to be 200 years old!).

They can grow up to 40-60 feet tall (12-18 meters).

They dont start growing arms until theyre around 70 years old.

They only grow in parts of the Sonoran Desert (a small area in Mexico, southern Arizona, and occasionally southeastern California.

They are expensive! Thats right, some people like to incorporate them into their landscaping, and the large ones can cost upwards of $10,000. The more arms it has, the more money it costs.

One foot of a saguaro weighs around 100 pounds!

We have a love affair with National Parks. Anyone else?! So it should come as no surprise that the first thing we plotted on our Tucson itinerary was a visit to Saguaro National Park.

And guess what?! It was our 20th US National Park! *cue champagne toast*

Saguaro is divided into two sections: one to the east and one to the west. In the middle lies the city of Tucson. Each side is a bit different. The west side of the park is more densely covered with saguaro, while the east side has more hiking trails and is more mountainous.

Try to see both sides if possible, but if youre short on time, visiting the west side of the park will be the best way to maximize your visit.

Best things to do in Saguaro National Park (with limited time):

West Side Saguaro National Park:

Drive around the 6-mile scenic Bajada Loop, and stop along the way at the spots listed below (plus any others that pique your interest):

Hugh Norris Trailhead: Hike up the trail for about 5-7 minutes and look west. Youll see tons of saguaro cacti and this spot would be wonderful for sunset.

Valley View Overlook Trail: 0.8-mile one-way (out and back) easy trail that is relatively flat. There are signs along the way pointing out the different types of plants and the final destination is a viewpoint over the vast valley below that is full of cacti.

Signal Hill Picnic Area: This short 0.3-mile hike up signal hill leads you to dozens of 800-year old petroglyphs that were created by the ancient Hohokam people.

East Side Saguaro National Park:

Drive along the Cactus Forest Drive Loop. It is an 8-mile self-drive loop that takes you to some of the major attractions in the east side of Saguaro National Park:

Mica View Trail: This relatively flat 2-mile return hike starts at a nice picnic area, goes through the cactus forest to East Broadway Blvd and back. You can also start the hike from E Broadway Blvd too.

Desert Ecology Trail: Paved 0.3-mile loop with signs to tell you more about desert plants. Great walk for kids.

Cactus Forest Trail: Splits the East Saguaro National Park from North to South. 5-mile return, mostly flat, but youll be surrounded with saguaro cacti the entire time.

Freeman Homestead Trail: Short 1-mile loop trail easy to do with kids. Youll walk by some of the biggest and oldest saguaros in the park.

Have more time in Saguaro National Park?

Douglas Spring Trailhead (East Side): This is a 16-mile out and back trail that is pretty flat for the first half and then switchbacks up the mountain until the top. About a quarter of the way on the trail, head to the left for 0.4 miles to see the Bridal Wreath Falls (dont expect a massive falls, but refreshing to see in the desert).

King Canyon Trail (West Side): The trailhead starts opposite of the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, this 7.1-mile moderate trail winds its way up to Wasson Peak. Many reports say its tough on the way up and you should start early, but youll be rewarded with an amazing view of the saguaro cacti filled desert.

Hours: Visitor Centers are open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. but the park is open to vehicles from sunrise to sunset.

Cost: weekly pass to Saguaro National Park is $25 per vehicle.

Insider tip: If you dont already have an America the Beautiful Pass, you might want to consider getting one before your trip to Tucson. It will not only cover your entrance to the National Park, but also to Sabino Canyon. Weve put together a guide thatll help you decide if the US National Park Pass is worth it for you.

3. Mountain Biking around Tucson

There are few things better than being outside, getting your heart pumping, and trying something totally new. And thats exactly what we did on our last morning in Tucson. We woke up before the sun, grabbed a breakfast burrito for fuel, and headed to a trailhead.

Tucson has some of the best places in Arizona if not the best for mountain biking. And whether youre a newbie to the sport (like us!) or a seasoned mountain biker, there are trails suited to all levels.

Important info about biking in Tucson:Here's the thing we wish we would have known before going mountain biking in Tucson... Some of the trails around the city are unsanctioned, meaningyou cannot legally ride on them without getting a permit. And the even sketchier thing is some mountain bike rental companies encourage riders to use these trails without first obtaining anArizonaState Trust Landpermit.

Even after quite a bit of sleuthing, we still can't figure out how a visitor to Tucson could actually purchase one of these permits (as the site to purchase them is broken). Moral of the story: When picking the trails you'll ride, be extra careful to choose only those that are sanctioned. Otherwise, you can be fined (and you're breaking the law).

Luckily, there are some reputable biking companies that follow the rules and encourage safe riding on trails that are open for the public to enjoy.

Our recommendation:Home Grown Mountain Bikingis a trusted company that offers rentals, shuttle services, and guided rides so you have an expert with you on the trails.Cost: Mountain bike rentals start at $120 per day. You'll find other package options as well as multi-day discounts.

Some popular mountain bike trails in Tucson (that don't require a permit):

Mount Lemmon:Lots of rugged terrain and temperatures that are significantly cooler than you'll find closer to the city, which makes for comfortable biking even in hotter months.

Catalina State Park, Oro Valley:Lots of beautiful trails, like the intermediate track "50 Year". Note: to enter Catalina State Park, you will need to pay $7 per vehicle.

Tucson Mountain Park:Here you'll find 50 miles of trails that are primarily beginner and intermediate levels.

Insider Tip:Download theTrailForks app to get a detailed look at the trail you plan to ride.

4. Explore Colossal Cave

Stalactites, stalagmites, and bat poo, oh my!

Ive had a fascination with caves since I was a child, so weve visited all different types of caves on our travels around the world. When we heard there was a cave in Tucson, we didnt need much convincing to squeeze a visit into our itinerary.

Located a short 15-minute drive southeast of Tucson, the Colossal Cave has a pretty interesting history. It was once used as a temporary shelter for the Hohokam people (the regions first inhabitants) as early as 900 AD. And later, this cave served as a hiding place for 19th-century outlaws who didnt want to be found.

To enter the Colossal Cave, you must book a guided tour. There are a handful of options to choose from:

Classic Cave Tour: Good introduction to the cave and suitable for all ages.

Length: 50-minute tour

Cost: Adults: $18, Children (5-12 yrs): $9, 4 and under: free

When: 8 tours a day, depart hourly from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Tip: Reservations are encouraged

Ladder Tour: Navigate narrow passageways, climb ladders, and cross rickety bridges in seldom-seen parts of the cave system.

Length: 1.5-hour tour

Cost: $35 per person

When: 2 tours a day 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

Tip: Reservations required

Wild Cave Tour: The most adventurous of tours offered, guides will take you to the most remote parts of the cave system. Participants must be fit and ready for a rugged good time! Described as absolutely down-and-dirty caving!

Length: 3.5-hour tour

Cost: $85 (reservations required)

Restrictions: 16 years old and older

When: 1 tour a day at 1 p.m.

Tip: There is an Intermediate option as well as Advanced ($125).

Our Opinion: Due to our limited time, the Classic Cave Tour was the one that best fit into our schedule. While it was a good introduction, it wasnt anything too different from what weve seen in other cave systems. We wished we had booked the Ladder or Wild Tour, as it would have been a bit more up our alley in terms of adventure!

Learn more about each tour and make your bookings here.

5. Sunset in the desert

Look up to the skies at dusk and youre in for an incredible show put on by Mother Nature. Seriously though, Tucson is known for having some epic sunsets, so plan to be somewhere special for at least one of the evenings during your trip.

Theres nothing like seeing the cacti start to glow as the sky takes on a pinkish hue.

Some top spots around Tucson for sunset:

Gates Pass

Saguaro National Park

A Mountain

JW Marriot

Tucson Mountain Park

Mount Lemmon scenic drive

6. Get a view over Tucson from A Hill (aka Sentinel Peak Park)

Look to the horizon and you shouldnt have a problem spotting A Hill, which, as the name implies, is adorned with a giant letter A made of rocks. This tribute to the University of Arizona is not only a town icon, but it marks one of the best spots to get a view over the city.

As long as the sky is clear, any time of day will grant you a sweeping view. Get an early morning start here and view the city beneath blue skies.

Or come for that golden hour glow and stay after the sun goes down to see the city lights begin to sparkle. Just know that after the sun sets, this is clearly a makeout spot, which is slightly awkward...

Alternative: Are you looking to get a workout in instead of taking the easy way and driving to the top? Pat yourself on the back, and then head to Tumamoc Hill. The trailhead is just a few minutes drive past the starting point of Sentinel Peak. This short but steep climb is a 3-mile round trip with a 700-foot elevation gain.

7. Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

I hate to admit it, but unless it is truly something special like the Met in NYC or the Uffizi in Florence I dont always prioritize fitting museums into our travel plans. Honestly, Id rather be outside or eating which I suppose could be my life motto.

However, once we saw reviews for the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, we decided to squeeze it into our itinerary. I mean, its the top-rated Tucson attraction on TripAdvisor (earning 5 stars with more than 8,000 reviews!), so surely it has to be worthwhile, right?

Honestly, after checking it out, I would say it depends. I know thats annoying to hear when trying to plan your itinerary, but keep reading to see if it is an experience thatll float your boat.

First things first, dont think of this as a typical museum... It's more of a zoo blended with a botanical garden and a dash of museum thrown in there for fun.

Youll find a huge variety of exhibits and lots of information around the park. To really explore everything thoroughly, youll need at least 2 hours.

Here are some of the main exhibits:

Aquarium

Raptor Flights

Hummingbird Aviary

Cave & Earth Sciences Center (the cave is artificial but pretty convincing)

Botanical Garden

Indoor Play Area for kids

One major perk to visiting the museum is your entrance fee will help contribute to their ongoing conservation and research efforts. One of their primary missions is to understand, connect people to and protect the natural systems of the Sonoran Desert Region.

Considering that the Sonoran Desert region is home to one of the greatest varieties of plants and animals out of any desert in the world, you can see it is pretty important work.

Interested in hearing more? Check out their website to see their current conservation and research projects.

Our thoughts on the Desert Museum:

Our favorite parts were the cave and gemstone exhibits. We are big rock nerds, so this part was especially cool. Theres even a little piece of rock from the moon on display which Ben geeked out about!

We think this would be a fun activity with kids (though we arent experts on the whole subject of children just yet!).

Honestly, zoos usually arent our thing (but thats a topic for another time). So we werent all that fond of the animal exhibits at this museum.

There is a small pool with stingrays where people can pay a small fee to touch them. We personally try to avoid any animal attraction that encourages touching.

Summary: Overall, this attraction is very well put together with accessible paths, frequent water fountains and toilets, lots of informational signs, and activities for children. You can learn a lot here and spend quite a bit of time exploring it all. However, if youre short on time, going into Saguaro National Park and Sabino Canyon are going to be even more worth your while.

Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Cost: Adults - $21.95, Seniors (65+) - $19.95, Children (3-12) - $9.95, Children (under 3) - Free

8. Go hiking in Sabino Canyon

Sitting in the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains, Sabino Canyon Recreation Center draws more than a million visitors annually. And for good reason: This place is absolutely stunning and packed with adventures for all types of travelers.

Encompassing two gorges: Sabino Canyon and Bear Canyon, you can choose to hike along paved or gravel paths, or you can save your legs some work and hop on a shuttle (for a fee).

Bear Canyon Shuttle: $6 adults, $4 ages 3-12; leaves every 30 minutes

Sabino Canyon Shuttle: $10 adults, $5 ages 3-12; leaves every 30 minutes

Seven Falls Hike

5 miles round trip

917 feet in elevation gain

If youre up for a challenging hike (thats well worth the effort), look no further than the Seven Falls Trail. You can hop on the Bear Canyon shuttle and get off at the last stop, which is at the trailhead. (Alternatively, you can skip the shuttle and hike the 2 miles to get to the trailhead.)

From here, its a 2.5-mile hike to the waterfalls that cascade over granite rocks to form pools that are perfect for taking a refreshing dip!

Important note: This trail requires some creek crossings, so be sure to check the conditions at the visitors center before attempting the hike. And be sure to carry plenty of water, as youll be hiking in some exposed areas and it can get very hot.

Cost: $8 per vehicle to enter Sabino Canyon

Hours: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Good to know: If you have a National Park Pass, youll get into Sabino Canyon for free!

Planning your itinerary: Wed recommend combining a visit to Sabino Canyon and a drive up to Mount Lemmon (described below) on the same day since they are in the same relative area. If you plan to visit the DeGrazia Gallery as well (#19), you can tack it on the same day since its not far from Sabino Canyon.

9. Scenic drive to Mount Lemmon

When we started planning our trip to Tucson, at least three different people told us, You absolutely have to make the drive up to Mount Lemmon.

And were so happy we listened because it was one of the highlights of our trip. We only wish we had allotted more time to it.

This 40-mile drive snakes back and forth as it winds up through the mountains. There are viewpoints, pullouts, trailheads and campgrounds very frequently along the drive, so there are plenty of opportunities to stretch your legs and scope out the views.

Youll notice a drastic drop in temperature as you make your way up the mountain, and depending on the time of year, you may even start to see snow (a crazy sight when youre coming from the desert!).

At the very top of Mount Lemmon, sits the tiny town of Summerhaven, which is basically a handful of vacation homes and a few small stores. Satisfy your sweet tooth by sampling fudge at the General Store and ordering a cookie at the Mount Lemmon Cookie Cabin, and continue to drive to the Marshall Gulch Picnic Area where you can enjoy your sweet treats with some real food you packed!

Insider Tip: One of our friends messaged us and told us to go to the Cookie Cabin, for huge and delicious cookies. Sadly, we got the text too late. So if you have the chance, go to this mountaintop log cabin and order a giant cookie for us, please!

Another fun thing to see is the (tiny) Mount Lemmon Ski Valley before you begin your drive down the mountain.

How long does it take? The drive is roughly 42 miles from downtown Tucson and takes about 1 hour 20 minutes from bottom to top without stopping. Wed allot at least 3.5 - 4 hours for the drive up and down the mountain with a few stops along the way.

10. Explore Catalina State Park

Catalina State Park | Photo Credit: My Mom ;)

Sitting at the base of the Santa Catalina Mountains, this state park is a haven for desert wildlife and is home to more than 5,000 saguaros.

Come to Catalina State Park put a few more miles on your hiking boots or to have a relaxing picnic surrounded by nature.

Hikes in Catalina State Park:

Romero Ruins Interpretive Trail: This short and easy loop is 0.6 miles and has just 68 feet in elevation gain, making it a good hike for most people. The trail brings you past some historic dwellings and archaeological sites that are marked with signs.

Romero Pools: This 4.9-mile out and back trail is rated as intermediate, and has a 1,047-foot elevation gain. Your efforts will be rewarded as the trail culminates at some beautiful pools.

Cost: $7 per vehicle

11. Drive through Tucson Mountain Park

Another park in Tucson? Yep, thats right!

You will pass through the Tucson Mountain Park on your drive to the west portion of Saguaro National Park. And actually the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum and Old Tucson are both located within the parks boundaries.

There are no entry fees, and unless youre looking at your map, you might not even realize youre inside the park at all.

Insider Tip: Be sure to stop at the Gates Pass viewpoint for an epic look over the valley. It is especially beautiful during golden hour. There are a few nearby trailheads too, so youll have the chance to stretch your legs if needed.

12. Visit Kitts Observatory

Kitt's Observatory | Photo Credit: My Mom ;)

Are you as big of a space geek as Ben?! If so, a trip to Kitts Observatory might be right up your alley. You can visit during the day to learn about telescopes and all the work that goes on behind the scenes, or you can take a night time tour and see the stars. But be sure to check the weather before you book.

Also, if the weather is cold, be prepared with warmer clothes because it can get even colder up on the mountain. Bring a good pair of shoes too because there is quite a bit of walking in the tour.

13. Tour Biosphere 2

Biosphere 2 | Photo Credit: My Mom ;)

Could you live in a bubble for 2 years?! Thats what 8 scientists did back in 1991 when the Biosphere 2 was first introduced to the world. Their goal was to study how a mini-biosphere would work with as few outside variables as possible.

Today, you can visit Biosphere 2 and tour the different ecosystems which range from rainforest to the ocean to a model city. The guided tours take you through various stations and highlight the ongoing experiments happening in the Biosphere.

Inside Biosphere 2 | Photo Credit: My Mom ;)

Some tours are included with the General Admission fee, while other tours have an additional cost. Tours can take around 2 to 3 hours. Plus, getting to Biosphere 2 from the center of Tucson is roughly a 50-minute drive, so youll need to dedicate a good portion of a day to this excursion if you add it to your itinerary.

Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily

Cost: Adults: $21, Kids $14

Check the Biosphere 2 website for more details on times and prices.

Fun Fact: If this is Biosphere 2, where is Biosphere 1? Well, youre living on it right now (aka Earth!). Mind blown!

Food & Nightlife in Tucson

Foodies are in for a treat because Tucson is packed with incredible dining options, especially when it comes to Mexican cuisine. And night owls will have a long list of things to do at night, from sampling the best local craft beer to enjoying live music on the town.

14. Eat ALL the Mexican Food

One of the things we were most excited for on this trip was the food. Mexican food, to be precise. #allthetacos

Being that this city is just over 60 miles from the border of Mexico, it should come as no surprise that Tucson is known for having a killer Mexican food scene. In fact, Tucson is the first UNESCO City of Gastronomy in the United States!

Psst! If youre a foodie, youll love this intro to the Tucson culinary scene!

The worst part of the food in Tucson was that we couldnt eat it all. Well, that and the fact that our weekend in Tucson obliterated our meager attempt at doing the Whole30 in January. I mean, Im not going to go to a Mexican food Mecca and not eat as many tacos, tamales and guacamole as possible. Its against the laws of nature.

If youre still reading my food-crazed ramblings, youre probably wondering where you can find the best Mexican food in Tucson, and youre about to be rewarded, friend.

While you dont have to look far to find good Mexican food in Tucson, were sharing some top recommendations, from super authentic hole-in-the-wall spots to refined Mexican restaurants with an exceptional dining experience:

Los Tacos Apson: Tiny, unassuming shop with authentic fare and a generous salsa/topping bar. We ordered a handful of items but our favorites were the taco al pastor and taco hass (carne asada, queso, chili verde); and as we were leaving, a local recommended we try the taco rasuada (grilled ribs) next time! This is also a great spot to try a caramelo, Tucsons take on a quesadilla (cheese and lots of meat grilled between tortillas).

Bocas y Tequila: Popular spot, especially with the university crowd, it seems. The tacos were super tasty (albeit not very hot, but we were there at a super busy hour!). The elote (Mexican street corn) was also very good.

Cafe Poca Cosa: An upscale Mexican restaurant with a menu that changes daily.

Taco Fish: Come here for fresh ceviche and tacos de pescado (fish) or camarones (shrimp).

Penca: Contemporary Mexican fusion with a chic atmosphere.

Mi Nidito: Serving Tucson since 1952, this place is a local legend known for large portions, delicious food, and as a place Bill Clinton once ate.

Taqueria Pico De Gallo: Best known for its award-winning fish tacos, this is another local favorite for authentic (and cheap!) tacos.

Taqueria Porfis: While the menu is small, thats okay because what they do, they do well. And the item theyre most famous for is their potato taco, which is stuffed with carne seca, tomatoes, lettuce, sour cream, and you guessed it potatoes!

Rollies Mexican Patio: Known for their rolled tacos, this cute and colorful cafe makes a great lunch stop.

El Charro Cafe: Set inside a century-old home, this restaurant serves up large home-cooked meals in a charming, yet casual atmosphere.

Fun Fact: This is the nations oldest Mexican restaurant run continuously by the same family.

Street Taco and Beer Co.: Good for late night bites, street tacos, and tequila cocktails.

Insider Tip: We read that if you want to find really authentic, no-frills Mexican food, head to the neighborhoods south of 22nd Street. And 12th Ave, which runs north to south, has a dense concentration of amazing Mexican restaurants.

These streets are part of whats known as the Best 23 Miles of Mexican Food (aka a 23-square-mile area in the city thats known as the best Mexican food north of the border).

15. Try a Sonoran Dog

Im not usually one to order hot dogs, but when we learned that Sonoran Dogs are a must try specialty from this region, we had to give it a go. For research purposes.

And lets just say Im pretty happy I made the sacrifice in the name of work. And while Sonoran Dogs arent something I would eat on a regular basis, they are pretty damn good.

So what exactly is a Sonoran Dog, you ask? This tasty blend of American and Mexican cuisine is comprised of bacon-wrapped hot dog, topped with pinto beans, chopped tomatoes, onions, mayonnaise, mustard and jalapeo salsa, all stuffed into a soft, sweet Mexican bun called a bolillo.

Rumor has it that there are two rival Sonora dog establishments in Tucson that both claim to serve the best:

BK Carne Asada & Hot Dogs: Winner of a Sonoran Dog locally-judged blind taste test against El Guero Canelo, it is definitely worth a try. They also have a large menu of fantastic Mexican fare, some may say the best in Tucson.

El Gero Canelo: With 3 locations in Tucson, this is a Tucson must! We sampled the one on Oracle road, and it did not disappoint. The combo of sweet, spicy and savory is an explosion in your mouth. Youre gonna want more than one.

After a little research, we chose to try our first Sonoran Dog at El Gero Canelo. While we dont have anything to compare it to, it was pretty darn tasty! If you have the time (and room in your tummy!), try them both on your trip to Tucson to determine the winner!

16. Sample Vegan Mexican Fare

Most restaurants featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives are laden with grease, layers of cheese, deep-fried everything, and meat. Lots of meat.

But an exception to this is Tucsons beloved Tumerico, which was featured on this hit series in 2018. This local favorite serves up scratch-made Mexican dishes with a menu that changes daily.

While clearly very popular, the service was fast, the prices reasonable, and the food delicious.

Our recommendations: The menu is constantly changing so we cant give specific recommendations, but if there is a taco made with jackfruit, TRY IT. You will thank us! Also, the turmeric lemonade was seriously yummy.

Moral of the story: Even if you do eat meat, Tumerico is well worth a visit.

Good to know: Tumerico is closed on Mondays.

More vegetarian options in Tucson

While these are not Mexican restaurants, here are a few other good options for vegetarians/vegans visiting Tucson.

Charro Vida: While not fully veggie, this Mexican-Mediterranean fusion restaurant (located close to Tohono Chul #35) donates proceeds to local school gardens throughout the region in partnership with the University of Arizona. Just looking at their menu makes my mouth water...

The Tasteful Kitchen: A somewhat upscale restaurant that specializes in vegan, gluten-free and raw cuisine. And while youre there, be sure to check out the mural depicting Mother Earth on the side of their building.

Urban Fresh: Casual cafe with plant-based wraps, salads and soups.

Zinmans Food Shop: carry-out spot with a patio, serving an eclectic assortment of dishes with influences from around the world.

17. Grab a cup of Tucsons best coffee

My name is Katie, and Im a coffee addict. If you are too, youll definitely want to start your day at Exo. Praised as the best coffee in Tucson, Exo does it all, and they do it well.

If you want to switch up your order and get something a little more unique than your everyday latte, order a chiltepin cold brew, which is made with spicy peppers!

And if your tummys a grumblin pick up one of their super tasty breakfast sandwiches, breakky bowls, or to keep the Mexican food theme going, try their breakfast tacos!

18. Visit a Farmers Market

When you combine locally grown produce, artisans selling their creations, and food vendors all in one place, youve got yourself some farmers market bliss.

With a handful of farmers markets around the Tucson area, youll likely be able to squeeze one during your trip.

Here are 3 farmers markets that are closest to town, and are easy to work into your sightseeing schedule:

Rillito Park: Makes a good stop if youre headed up to Catalina State Park, Tohono Chul, or over to Sabino Canyon.

Oro Valley: Stop here on your way to Catalina State Park.

Rincon Valley: Make a stop here on your drive down to Colossal Cave.

We visited the market in Rincon Valley on our way to the Colossal Cave, and while not huge, it was a nice stop to browse some local artists work and nibble on kettle corn!

Hours: All the markets listed above have the same hours.

Winter Hours (Oct. - Mar.): Saturdays, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Summer Hours (Apr. - Sept.): Saturdays, 8 a.m -12 p.m.

These farmers markets are all put together by an organization called Heirloom Farmers Markets, and you can find more info here.

19. Go on a Food Tour

Im someone who gets serious FOMO when it comes to food.

When visiting a city thats known for its food scene, I feel like I should try everything, which is not exactly an ideal habit for my waistline or my wallet.

If you can relate (yay, Im not alone!), youll want to keep reading because I recently found the cure: Food Tours!

Food tours are a way for you to try a little of each (my favorite!). Plus, your guide usually brings you to local spots you wouldn't find on your own, and gives you insight to the citys history, culture and culinary scene.

So if youre interested in food especially Mexican food (Tucsons pride and joy!), you might want to consider adding a food tour into your itinerary.

There are two companies that run highly-rated food tours in Tucson:

Tucson Food Tours

Taste of Tucson

Weve taken food tours all around the world, and wish we had time to take one on our trip to Tucson. Guess weve gotta save something for our next trip, right?!

20. Hang out in Mercado San Agustin

This square just west of downtown has a collection of high-end boutiques, produce vendors, artisans and eateries surrounding a pretty courtyard. We were there on a rainy day (a rare occurrence in Tucson!), but with nice weather, this would be a prime spot to wander and grab a bite.

Insider Tip: We were told that Seis Kitchen is amazing, and La Estrella Bakery also looks really good. Try them out and let us know what you think!

21. Eat a flight of Ice Cream

Can I confess something? I have an ice cream problem.

Someone once told me, No matter how full you are, theres always room for ice cream because it can fit in all the cracks! And I think Ive taken those words a little too seriously over the years.

This is coming from someone who almost missed the last train of the day in a tiny Italian village because I *needed* to get gelato. And someone who has (successfully) completed more than one ice cream eating challenge.

So lets just say you should consider me something of an expert on the topic of ice cream.

When I heard about the ice cream flights (yes flights!) at The Screamery, I told Ben we had to make it part of our itinerary.

And when I found out it was right across the street from our hotel as well as another highly rated ice cream shop (Hub), I told him we better go to both. Ya know, in order to research as many flavors as possible.

The Screamery: Tons of unique flavors to choose from, reasonable prices, and the option to have a flight!

Flavors we loved: Sweet Cream Honeycomb and Rough at Sea

Hub: A little more expensive, less choices, and no ice cream flight option (dang it!). But still seriously good ice cream.

Flavors we loved: Queen Bee and Mexican Hot Chocolate

Overall, theyre both really good choices. I think the ice cream was pretty similar in quality, so choose the one that has flavors youre more excited about.

22. Sample the best Craft Beer in Tucson

While not exactly the level of craft beer scene youll find in Portland, Tucson has a decent amount of breweries in town.

If youre a purveyor of craft brews (were right there with ya!), here are a few breweries youll want to check out:

Dragoon Brewing Company: Open warehouse-style brewery with a great selection of all kinds of brews. We sampled a flight here, and it was our favorite beer of the breweries we visited in Tucson, but a bit outside the center of town.

Barrio Brewing Co.: Rustic-chic brewery close to downtown with happy hour specials.

Public Brewhouse: Tucked in a dark alleyway, they brew a mean Belgian Dubbel. Worth a stop if youre exploring 4th Ave. Seems to be a pretty new spot, and popular with locals.

Pueblo Vida: Small, hip spot downtown with lots of unique fruit-forward IPAs and complex malty dark pours.

Gentle Bens Brewing: We wanted to visit this brewery just because of the name! Well, that, and it looks like they have some good brews!

Crooked Tooth Brewing Co.: Highly rated brews with a typical brick wall interior. Flights come on a skateboard!

Borderlands Brewing Company: German Chocolate Cake Porter, need I say more Okay I will: female head brewmaster, daily food trucks, & massive murals on the wall.

Iron Johns Brewing Company: Fantastic micro-brewery with crazy concoctions in the heart of downtown.

23. Soak up some speakeasy vibes

Weve been on a speakeasy kick lately. And Ive gotta say, Tucson has a few great options if youre looking for handcrafted cocktails, and a mysterious, 1920s-esque atmosphere.

The Independent Distillery: Pre-prohibition style bar serving their own spirits and enticing cocktails.

Surly Wench Pub: Good for a couple of drinks in what they call an industrial goth bar. The vibe we got was new-age biker bar but apparently the burgers are good.

Club Congress: Throw on your shiniest flapper dress and striped suit and step back in time to this historic bar. Not only do they host the best 1920s themed parties, they have a jammed-pack event calendar including rock bands, cabarets, free yoga and stand-up comics.

Tough Luck Club: In the basement of Reilly Craft Pizza (an old funeral home!), youll find this cozy cocktail bar. Oh, and outside is a beer garden if you prefer a more casual vibe.

24. Tequila toast at JW Marriott

When in the Arizona desert it only seems right to have some tequila! And do you know what the best kind of tequila is?

FREE tequila!

Now that Ive got your attention, lets talk about how to get that free tequila, shall we?

The JW Marriott is in a stunning location that gives new meaning to the term desert oasis. But even if you dont have the budget to splurge on a $250-per-night room, you can enjoy unrivaled views and a free tequila toast at sundown.

Simply show up to Salud, the Marriotts on-site bar and restaurant, to take part in their nightly tradition of raising a (complementary) shot of tequila and share the legend behind the classic Mexican cheers, arriba, abajo, al central, en dentro.

And of course as soon as the story is over, everyone gathered there is invited to raise their glasses and make a toast as the sun sets. Tequila is passed around at 5:30 p.m., so be sure to arrive a bit earlier to get a seat by a firepit and enjoy the view.

And if you feel so inclined, try one of their specialty handcrafted cocktails or order your liquor straight up from their selection of more than 150 tequilas. Who knew there were so many tequilas?!

25. Mezcal Tasting

Tequila gets a lot of hype in the US; but in Mexico, people are all about the mezcal!

We learned a lot about mezcal during our travels in Oaxaca, and have been really interested in tequilas smokier cousin ever since.

Whether youre a mezcal connoisseur or youve never heard of the stuff until now, doing a mezcal tasting is a great way to learn more about Mexicos favorite spirit.

While theyre best known for coffee, each Thursday starting at 7 p.m., Exo Coffee hosts an hour-long mezcal tasting at their onsite bar.

While sipping on samples of several high quality mezcal (they have a collection of more than 150 mezcals!), proprietor Doug Smith walks guests through everything youve ever wanted to know about this liquor. This informational tasting costs $20 and reservations are not necessary.

And if Thursday doesnt work for you, tastings are also offered Wednesdays and Sundays between 6 - 9 p.m. for $25. For these tastings, you must make a reservation in advance.

If youre not interested in a full tasting, you can always come during their bar hours to enjoy beer, wine, or mezcal cocktails. They have a great happy hour from 6 - 8 p.m., where cocktails are just $5, and beer and wine are $1 off.

26. Get your giggle on at a comedy show

Weve realized that comedy clubs almost always guarantee a night of fun! Plus, its a great way to spend an evening in a new city, and most big(ish) towns around the world have at least one comedy club.

Tucson is no exception. There are a handful of comedy clubs, but it seems that Laffs gets the biggest national names in stand-up, so we decided it would be a good way to spend our Friday night.

We gave the address of Laffs to our Uber drive and had no idea what to expect, but when we pulled up to a strip mall on the outskirts of suburbia, we were a little surprised.

And when we walked inside, we soon realized this no-frills club was not going to win us over on atmosphere. So we crossed our fingers that at least the show would be good

Lets just say that we were clutching our stomachs from laughing so hard for the next 90 minutes!

Weve been to enough comedy shows to know its not as much about the atmosphere as it is about the people on stage. The comics themselves are what are going to make the experience belly-hurts-from-laughing-so-hard good or just alright.

Theres always the off-chance that youll hate the comedians style of humor (which has happened to us in a comedy club with a top-notch atmosphere!).

We were at Laffs on a night with great talent, and hopefully youll catch a great line-up as well! Our advice is to read up on the comedian who is performing to see if youll like their style, or just show up with an open mind and ready for a laugh!

And dont worry, you wont go hungry or thirsty. There is a long list of cocktails with quirky names, a small selection of beer, and a menu of pub food and snacks.

Laffs has a handful of shows each week:

Thursdays: 8 p.m. Open Mic, free show!

Friday: 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., doors open at 7 p.m.

Saturday: 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., doors open at 6 p.m.

Cost:

General Seating: $12.50

Preferred Seating: $17.50

You can pay in advance, or you can make a reservation but pay at the door.

Check out their schedule to see upcoming shows.

Psst! If youre into improv or are looking for a family-friendly comedy show, Unscrewed Theater might be more your scene.

27. Spend the evening at a Film Bar

Check Casa Film Bar's Facebook Page for New Showings

Looking for something fun and lowkey to do at night in Tucson? Oh, we have got just the idea for you!

Combine craft beer, food trucks and movies (three of our favorite things!), and youre in for a great time. Youll find this magical combo at Casa Film Bar, which is something of a local secret.

Essentially a bar inside a video rental store, come on a weekend night and youll be able to enjoy a movie showing with a craft brew (or wine or coffee).

They play films ranging from 90s classics, like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, to little-known indie films, to brand new Oscar nominees (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was playing while we were there, just 6 months after being released in theaters).

Casa Film Bar Schedule:

Films & rotating food trucks: Thursday, Fridays & Saturdays (check their Facebook page for showtimes and to see which food truck will be there).

Smartphone Trivia: Tuesdays from 7 - 9 p.m. (free to play & winners get prizes)

Food Truck only: Sundays 6 - 8 p.m., Pop's Hot Chicken is the Sunday evening staple

Not only will you be supporting one of the few standing video rental stores left, but youll be able to check out a local hot spot and have an all around good evening!

28. Live Music in Tucson

While Tucson certainly wont make the cut for top live music cities in the US, that doesnt mean you should give up hope on catching a performance. In fact, as we wandered around downtown and along 4th Ave, we heard more bands performing than we could count!

From hipster bars to honky tonks, and century-old theaters to swanky resort patios, youll have plenty of choices when it comes to choosing a spot to catch some tunes.

Here are some of the venues in Tucson that regularly host live music:

Thunder Canyon Brewery: Large brewery downtown that hosts live music.

La Cocina: This restaurant has a large menu and an even bigger patio, complete with cafe lights and live music on the weekends.

Club Congress: Its hard to beat the atmosphere youll find in Club Congress, though most acts that come through here require you buy a ticket in advance.

Ches Lounge: Yummy cocktails and beer with an outdoor patio and stage for music.

Exo Coffee: Not just a coffee shop, Exo also has a mezcal bar and hosts live music most weekend nights!

Hacienda Del Sols Terraza: If you prefer your live music with a side of class and a bottle of fine wine, the patio at Hacienda del Sol is a good place to catch some jazz or classical tunes as the sun sets.

29. Nightlife on 4th Ave

Being that this street sits directly between the university campus and downtown, it draws a young student crowd as well as a mix of young professionals and tourists. And lemme tell ya: It comes alive at night!

You can find all sorts of quirky bars, restaurants of all kinds, cafes with poetry readings, and shops selling everything from cowboy boots to hippy garb.

Walk down 4th Ave and pop into any establishment that strikes your fancy.

30. Brunch in Tucson

Need a pick-me-up after a big night out on 4th Ave? Lucky for you, Tucson has some amazing brunch options thatll get you feeling like yourself in no time!

Insider Tip: If youre looking for a kickass Bloody Mary to start your day, Elliotts on Congress is where youll want to go. Their infused vodkas make a great base for the drink, and if you like spicy, order the Habanero Bloody for a real wake up call!

And even if youre not hungover, who doesnt love a good brunch?

Seasonal fruit, eggs, flaky pastries fresh outta the oven, housemade jam youre speaking my language! Oh, and we cant forget about the mimosas and bloody Marys.

Tucson has a healthy variety of brunch spots that are sure to strike your fancy:

Prep and Pastry

Cup Cafe

Baja Cafe

Five Points Market

Cafe a La CArt

Art, Culture & History in Tucson

For lovers of all things art, history and culture, theres no shortage of ways to fill up your time in Tucson. Were sharing some of the top things to do if you want to delve into this citys history and art scene.

31. Hunt for Street Art!

Tucsons street art scene is off the hook!

Ermmm do people even say off the hook anymore? Im going to assume no, but still, you know what I mean.

Youll notice colorful murals covering the sides of buildings all over town. Depictions range from desert scenes, to whales and fish, to cultural references, to random but pretty paintings of birds

You really wont have to make much of an effort to spot murals around town, but if you want some direction, here are some of our personal favorite murals in Tucson (and their location pins):

Whale mural by Joe Pagac

Goddess of Agave

Greetings from Tucson Postcard

Girl in Barrio Viejo (Across the street from El Tiradito)

Girl by Charro del Rey

32. Visit Mission San Xavier del Bac

One of Tucsons most iconic buildings, the Mission San Xavier del Bac is a not only a historic landmark, but it also still operates as a church to this day. If you happen to visit on a Sunday, you might just see a church service taking place.

This building is a beautiful example of 18th-century architecture, and has been nicknamed the White Dove of the Desert. As you wander around the mission and church property, youll notice influences of Renaissance, Byzantine and Mexican architecture styles.

If youre interested in hearing about the churchs history, consider taking a guided tour. They are free to join and dont require making a reservation. Simply show up at the museum entrance to join in this 45-minute tour. Tours run quite frequently, but timing depends on the season. Check here for tour hours.

Feeling hungry? If you happen to be visiting Mission San Xavier del Bac on a weekend, keep your eyes peeled for food vendors from the Tohono Oodham Nation who often sell frybread tacos in the open-air market space just across from the mission.

Frybread is pretty much just what it sounds like, a dough (sort of similar in appearance to naan) that has been deep fried to golden deliciousness. This traditional Native American staple is then topped with different ingredients, either sweet or savory.

Weve tried frybread tacos once before, and theyre really tasty. Theyre not all that easy to find in most places, so do yourself a favor and try one while youre at the mission!

Mission San Xavier del Bac Hours:

Hours: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Cost: Free, donations welcome

Insider Tip: If you arrive in Tucson at a reasonable hour and arent too tired, wed recommend heading straight to Mission San Xavier from the airport, as its quite close (and a bit out of the way to come from downtown Tucson). Alternatively, you could stop for a quick visit before heading to the airport on your way out of Tucson.

33. Visit the historic Hotel Congress

It might seem strange that we have a hotel on our list of things to do, but hear us out...

Nestled right in the center of downtown, Hotel Congress is the stuff of local legends. Built just after the turn of the 20th century, it was here that John Dillinger, an infamous American gangster during the Great Depression era, was arrested and brought to jail.

Although he later escaped, Tucsonians take great pride in the fact that Dillinger, a prolific bank robber, was caught in their city. They are so proud, in fact, that there is an annual celebration and recreation of these events which takes place each year in mid-January (we were actually there for it!).

Hotel Congress still retains its quirky, colorful, historic charm. And walking into the lobby feels as if youve stepped back in time. Grab a drink at one of the many onsite bars, or catch a concert at Club Congress. And if you want to spend the night, the historic rooms are cozy, however, there is a caveat...

Our honest opinion: We stayed at Hotel Congress during our trip to Tucson, and while we would definitely recommend stopping in for a drink and checking it out, we would not advise staying here unless youre in Tucson to party.

They dont try to hide the fact that this hotel gets loud like really loud at night. There are even ear plugs in each room. Lets just say we did not sleep very well during our entire 3 nights in Tucson.

Interesting Fact: It is said that Hotel Congress is haunted! While were not ones to really believe these things, we did have a very weird experience where our closet door swung open suddenly. And at night, the 2nd floor where we were staying smelled like smoke from a fire. Spooky...

34.DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun

If youre an art buff, the DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun makes an interesting stop. This is a gallery dedicated to the works of one man: Ettore Ted DeGrazia.

Dont worry, I hadnt heard of him either; but DeGrazia is pretty well-known in Arizona.

So who is Ettore DeGrazia? Well, heres the short version:

DeGrazia was born into a family of Italian immigrants who lived in a mining camp in rural Arizona. Ettore later enrolled at the University of Arizona, and created a life around his passion: art.

In adulthood, he married (twice) and bought a 10-acre plot of land in the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains which would become both his home and gallery.

His works were underappreciated for many years until his oil painting Los Nios was selected by UNICEF to be printed on a 1960 holiday card, which sold millions worldwide. DeGrazias fame spread during the next decade, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors to his gallery each year.

Visiting the Gallery in the Sun

A visit to the Gallery in the Sun will leave you in awe at the sheer amount of artwork DeGrazia created in his lifetime. The museum has a rotating collection of more than 15,000 DeGrazia originals! Anyone else wondering how he had enough hours in the day to make all of this?!

DeGrazia liked using all different mediums. Youll see oils, watercolors, sketches and even pottery on display. And another impressive fact is that the gallery was designed by DeGrazia himself.

When you visit the Gallery in the Sun, not only will you see DeGrazias artwork, but youll also be able to walk through his home and his private chapel, both of which are on the property.

Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., daily

Cost: $8 for adults, $5 for ages 12-18, children under 12 are free

35. Wander the gardens at Tohono Chul

Hailed as one of the countrys best botanical gardens by Travel + Leisure, Tohono Chul is popular with locals and visitors alike. Covering nearly 50 acres, this is said to be a place where nature, art, and culture connect.

But were not gonna gloss over the fact that when we visited in mid-January, there wasnt all that much to see due to the transition of seasons.

Wed imagine during other times of the year, there are more things to see. Weve heard March is particularly beautiful with the desert flowers starting to bloom. They also host occasional live music and other events throughout the year.

Our Opinion: Before planning your visit, wed do some research to see if it will be worthwhile during the season in which youre visiting. Perhaps between the months of March and May there would be more to see, as the desert flowers are in bloom during this time.

Hours: 8 a.m. - 5 .p.m.

Cost: Adults - $15, Children (5-12) - $6, Children under 5 - Free, Seniors (62+) - $13

36. Explore Barrio Viejo

Translating to old neighborhood, Barrio Viejo is just that: a section of Tucson that still has old charm. Sometimes called the real "soul" of Tucson, you can drive around and see colorful Spanish Colonial architecture and find authentic Mexican restaurants.

While some parts of the neighborhood are lively, there are other sections that have a run-down feeling.

We drove around Barrio Viejo for a while trying to find some of the beautiful, colorful adobe houses we had seen pictures of.

So to point you in the right direction (and minimize your time spent driving around in circles like we did!), here are some points of interest in Barrio Viejo (Note: please be respectful in this neighborhood because people do live here):

Colorful houses on S Meyer Ave and W Kennedy St (and further south on Meyer Ave until 22nd St)

El Tiradito Shrine (described below)

El Minuto Cafe: Mexican restaurant next to El Tiradito

The Coronet: brunch and late night food

Five Points Market & Restaurant: cute and lively brunch spot

Cafe Desta: popular Ethiopian restaurant

37. Visit El Tiradito Shrine

If youre exploring the Barrio Viejo neighborhood, make a quick visit to the El Tiradito Shrine. Stopping here only requires a few minutes and to the naked eye its nothing too special.

It is scattered with candles, flowers, and images of saints. But this is no ordinary shrine, folks. And once you know the legend behind this shrine, its kind of an interesting place to see.

Nicknamed the wishing shrine, El Tiradito is the USs only Catholic shrine dedicated to a.... wait for it SINNER! Scandalous, I know. But thats not even the crazy part.

Heres the short version of the legend of Juan Oliveras, the man who is buried beneath El Tiradito Shrine: Juan, a young ranch-hand, is married to his bosss daughter, but soon becomes infatuated with his mother-in-law (yep, you read that right), and makes a move. The two carry on an affair, which is eventually busted by the husband/father-in-law/boss. Ouch!

He gets so angry that he kills Juan right there before escaping to Mexico, where he is later murdered. The wife allegedly kills herself, and after all this horrifying drama and death, the daughter (who, by the way, we should mention is pregnant with Juans child) hangs herself as well.

It is said that Juan is buried beneath El Tiradito, a shrine that people visit for all different reasons. Some come out of sheer curiosity about the legend and others see it on a things to do in Tucson list, like this one!

But there is another group of people who come to this spot: Those who empathize with Juan and have similar love triangles in their own lives. It is said that if you write your wish on a piece of paper and have good intentions, it will come true.

Just behind the shrine is a crumbling brick wall, and if you look closely, youll see scraps of paper stuffed in the holes between bricks, many of which are wishes from past visitors.

This shrine was almost demolished when the city was building a new highway, but people in the community fought to preserve it. Perhaps they want to protect history, or maybe some people are protecting their wishes!

38. Step back in time at Old Tucson

Old Tucson | Photo Credit: My Mom ;)

Walk through what looks like a scene straight out of a John Wayne film, and watch as actors from the Wild West perform demonstrations and stunts.

Old Tucson is an amusement park of sorts, complete with a town hall, a saloon and a haunted mine, like all good Western desert towns have.

We didnt have enough time to visit Old Tucson during our weekend trip, and to be honest, it didnt really seem like our type of place. However, if youre looking for things to do in Tucson with kids, this could be a fun activity for a family.

Be sure to look up the schedule of events to time your visit right.

Cost: Adults: $21.95, Children (4-11): $10.95, Children under 4: Free

Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (times may change seasonally)

Best Tucson Weekend Itinerary

Are you overwhelmed with the massive list we just gave you?

Dont worry, were going to help you pare it down a bit. Below, weve listed some highlights you can choose from based on your travel style:

If you love the outdoors:

Visit Saguaro National Park

Hike to Seven Falls in Sabino Canyon

Drive up to Mount Lemmon and stop on the way for hikes and lookout points

Explore Romero Ruins in Catalina

If youre traveling with kids in Tucson:

Do the Classic Tour at Colossal Cave

Sonoran Desert Museum

Go horseback riding

Order an ice cream flight at The Screamery

Visit Old Tucson

If youre into food:

Eat a Sonoran Dog

Check out our list of top Mexican food and try as many as you can!

Have a leisurely brunch

Order an ice cream flight at The Screamery

Go on a Tucson food tour

Try a vegan Mexican meal at Tumerico

If youre an art & culture lover:

Check out the Degrazia Gallery in the Sun

Explore Barrio Viejo and visit El Tiradito Shrine

Visit Tohono Chul botanical gardens (if the time of year is right)

Spend an evening at Casa Film Bar

Visit the Tucson Museum of Art

If youre into nightlife:

Tequila toast at the JW Marriot at sunset

Go brewery hopping

Scope out some live music

Grab a drink at Hotel Congress

Head to 4th Ave after dark for a night on the town

Do a mezcal tasting

If youre on a budget:

Do the scenic drive to Mount Lemmon

Go on a scavenger hunt to find as much street art as you can!

Watch sunset at A Hill with a view over Tucson

Have a picnic lunch

If youre craving adventure:

Go mountain biking

Go horseback riding

Book the Ladder or Wild Cave Tour at Colossal Cave

Hike to Seven Falls in the Sabino Canyon

Best time to visit Tucson, Arizona

Tucson is a great destination year round, however it can get quite hot in the summertime (albeit a dry heat). June is the hottest month in Tucson, with average highs soaring to 103F (40C). Yikes!

For the most comfortable temperatures, plan your trip to Tucson between mid-September and mid-May.

Even during December (Tucsons coldest month), the average temperature hovers just above 50F (10C) and it rarely dips below freezing. This weather will feel downright balmy to anyone from the Midwest (peace out Polar Vortex!).

Being that Tucson is smack dab in the middle of the desert, there is little chance that rain will ruin your vacation (unless youre traveling during the monsoon season of July and August). We arrived in Tucson on a rare rainy day, but by the next morning, most of the puddles had evaporated and there wasnt a cloud to be seen!

Another thing to keep in mind about this desert city is that temperatures can drop drastically from midday to evening. Be sure to pack layers to keep warm during the nights.

When Do the Desert Flowers Bloom?

It depends on the plant, but the flowering season is from mid-February to mid-June, with the biggest blooms peaking from mid-March to late April. Each year is different depending on rainfall, freezing temperatures during the winter, and springtime weather during the growing season.

Where to Stay in Tucson

Most of the time when were visiting a city, we like staying downtown so we can walk places and be near all the major sights. But depending on your interests, Tucson is a place where wed actually say you dont need to stay in the city center. As you can see from reading our massive list of things to do, many of Tucson's major attractions are on the outskirts of the city.

Weve rounded up some recommended Tucson hotels and Airbnbs below, with a mix of locations in the city as well as some that are a literal desert oasis.

Hotels in Tucson, Arizona

JW Marriott Tucson Starr Pass Resort

In the foothills of Tucsons Mountain Park, sits the massive JW Marriott Tucson Starr Pass Resort. With easy access to Gates Pass and the Western Side of Saguaro National Park, this resort has a great location. It also has 3 golf courses, 4 restaurants (with a daily tequila toast!), and 3 outdoor pools, you can really enjoy your stay in Tucson.

Azure Gate B&B

Located in NE Tucson, this charming B&B is a quick drive to the Sabino Canyon Recreation Area or the East Side of Saguaro National Park. Included in each stay is daily ( breakfast, an onsite pool, and free parking.

Hotel McCoy - Art, Coffee, Beer, Wine

This modern hotel is perfect for a couple or a family who wants to stay a little bit outside of downtown. There are murals everywhere (check out the pictures!), an excellent staff, and a daily continental breakfast.

Hotel Congress

If youre looking to stay downtown, Hotel Congress has an unrivaled location. Add to that its historic charm, and you might be ready to book. However, we would be remiss if we didnt mention that this hotel is directly above a club, and it can get incredibly loud on weekend nights.

So loud, in fact, that the hotel provides guests with ear plugs. If that doesnt scare you away, then you might love staying at this historic property.

Airbnbs in Tucson

There are tons of amazing Airbnb options in Tucson. Overall, they are very reasonably priced, and some even have pools. Just take a look at some of the Airbnbs we hand-selected for you!

Insider Tip: Find out how we set our Airbnb filters to find the best properties anywhere in the world!

'Case Study' Guest House: Charming guest house and hosts. Youll have the entire place yourself with a full kitchen and a rain shower in the bathroom. Southeast of Downtown. Check Availability here.

Historic 4th Ave Herbie House: Beautiful studio apartment in the 4th Avenue Neighborhood. Close to bars, restaurants and the metro stops. Check Availability here.

Sonoran Desert Retreat: This inexpensive but lovely place is located in the Catalina Foothills close to shops and restaurants. This would be perfect for a couple looking to get away from the busyness of town. Check Availability here.

Self Check in Airbnb - Near I-10: This cheap Airbnb is located in the northern suburbs of Tucson and is great for a solo travel or a couple wanting to mountain bike the local tracks. Its a small, clean studio, but it has everything you need for a basic stay. Check Availability here.

Tucson Poet's Studio: This Santa Fe Style studio comes with a beehive corner fireplace and a small lounging outdoor pool. Its pretty close to central Tucson just a few blocks east of the university, so its a great location for exploring. Check Availability here.

Psst! Is it your first time using Airbnb? Follow this link and well give you $55 off Airbnb!

Getting Around Tucson

While Tucson itself is a relatively small city, youve probably noticed that most of the major attractions are outside the center. In order to be able to see the best things to do in Tucson, you really do need a car to get around.

Rental Car

If youre flying into Tucson, you can pick up your rental car at the airport. We usually reserve cars through RentalCars.com because we have used them before and they have the best deals for rental cars. When searching I found deals around $36 per day for a standard sedan, which is all you would need in Tucson.

However, this time, we tried reserving our rental car through our American Express Platinum card and we found the same cars for about $23 per day! This saved us about $40 over the 3 days we were visiting Tucson. Head to this article if you want to learn more about the travel credit cards we use to get free or discounted travel.

When driving in Tucson: Be aware that some areas have speed traps enforced by cameras, so keep an eye on your odometer.

Uber or Lyft

If you plan to have a few beverages out on the town, dont risk driving. Instead, order an Uber to get you where you need to go. Downtown Tucson is not that big so rides are pretty cheap.

Metro

In Tucson there is a Light Rail metro line called the SunLink that connects University of Arizona to the 4th Ave District to Downtown (Centro) and finally to the Mercado District including Mercado San Agustin.

For a single one-way fare it costs $1.75, but you can purchase a 1-Day SunGO ticket for $4.50 which is good for 24 hours.

What to pack for a trip to Tucson

Camelback (if you think youll be hiking a lot)

Daypack for hikes

Chacos or other hiking shoes that wont get too hot

Closed toe shoes (for horseback riding or mountain biking)

Layers (it gets cold at night and hot during the day)

Swim suit (if your hotel has a pool)

Sunscreen

Sunglasses

Reusables: Weve been kind of living in a bubble in Oregon where plastic bags are banned and many establishments encourage you to bring your own reusables, or provide a somewhat eco-friendly option (like wooden utensils and paper straws).

While many Tucson restaurants and accommodations, like Charro Vida, Boca Tacos y Tequila and Hotel Congress, offer eco-friendly options, there is still a lot of room for improvement when it comes to reducing unnecessary waste (just like many other cities around the U.S.).

We had our reusables packed (as we always do!) which helped a bit, but it was still a challenge.

Responsible Travel Tip: Pack your reusables (listed below), and eat inside restaurants as much as possible to avoid waste like styrofoam and plastic utensils.

Its difficult to avoid it altogether, but wed recommend bringing the following to help you reduce the waste you create:

Coffee tumbler

Utensil set (great for picnics!)

Reusable straws

Reusable bag (one that stuffs up like this is great!)

Water bottle

For more tips on how to reduce your waste while traveling, check out our article on 18 Simple Ways to Reduce Your Plastic Use Everyday.

You May Also Like

31 Best USA Road Trips

7 Best Desert Hikes in California Most Don't Know About

Las Vegas on a Budget: 17 Cheap Things to Do

Plan a Trip to Zion National Park

Going to Tucson soon? Share this Article on Pinterest!

We want to hear from you!

Are you planning a trip to Tucson? What things are on the top of your list? Do you have any additional questions for us? Write to us in the comments below and well do our best to get back to you!

Arplis - News source https://arplis.com/blogs/news/38-fun-things-to-do-in-tucson-arizona

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vitanteactawrites · 7 years

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Sometimes Two Isn’t Enough, Part IV

Fandom: Supernatural / AU

Characters: Reader, Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester, Castiel

Pairing: Dean x Reader x Sam

Word Count: 2,281

Part: Four [part one, two, three]

Warnings: None!

Author’s note: Sorry it took so long guys, but here it is! We’ve finally started to dig in a little deeper and discover who the reader is, so enjoy! On a side note, I’m on vacation for a week but plan on taking a good old notebook and pen with me to try and get some stuff done. Next weeks chapter will be a little late, but expect a hunt and more information on who the reader is.

Despite the fact that the gentle lull of the Impala’s engine had put you to sleep, when it cut, you hardly stirred. Which was why your brows furrowed in sleep muddled confusion as fingers dusted hair from your eyes. With a soft grumble, your hand moved to bat away whatever had disturbed you, the other tugging Dean’s borrowed jacket closer to your shoulders. And while your sleep addled brain could hear the deep chuckle, your body still insisted on curling deeper into the soft leather of the back seat, chin nuzzling into the jacket within your grasp.

But the hair in your face was pushed back once more, this time accompanied by a gruff whisper of your name. Upon the realization that someone was going to insist on waking you regardless of any effort you put forth in attempt to avert it, you sleepily opened and squinted your eyes at the figure before you. Only once Dean was firmly in focus did your lips curl slightly.

“Sorry - are we stopping again for the night?”

You could tell that it was late afternoon by the light seeping through the windows of the vehicle, and despite the fact that there were potentially hours’ worth of open road ahead of you, you’d been quick to learn that the Winchesters had been taking you into consideration. You knew little about the past, which made driving for a long distance seem uncomfortable. More than once the three of you had stopped around dinner and stayed put, effectively making your trip to safety a little longer, but also much more comfortable.

“We’re here.”

The two words were enough for any lingering exhaustion to be wiped away and replaced with interest. Scooting across the seat, you carefully exited the Impala, offering Dean his jacket back in the process. You felt… nervous. This was, as Dean had once put it, their home. Or as Sam had put it, home base. Putting two and two together hadn’t been hard. One of them was your soulmate, which meant that this - at least for the time being - would be your home as well. Lacking any real memory, this place was your first home, which made it that much more important and special.

“Where’s Sam?”

“Inside. He figured it shouldn’t take two of us to wake you, so he brought everything in.”

Though your gaze had drifted to look at Dean as he spoke, it didn’t take long for you to offer a soft hum of acceptance at his words, eyes turning to the outside of the bunker. And it wasn’t just the exterior building you took in, but the surrounding woods, the roadway, everything.

You aren’t sure how long you lose yourself in your thoughts, but it’s a gentle brush of knuckles against the back of your hand that has you thrown back into focus. The surprised look you throw Dean is enough to put you both on edge, as he’s quick to withdraw his hand and awkwardly run it up the back of his neck instead.

“We - we better not keep Sam waiting. He might think something got us and send out the search party.”

It’s a poor attempt at a joke, one you mentally kick yourself for immediately, but it propels you toward the first doorway in your sight.

The moment you step into the bunker, your feet draw to an immediate halt - causing Dean to nearly barrel right into you. The scuffling of feet as Dean braces his hand against the rail and carefully steady’s you both is enough to draw Sam’s attention from below. It’s likely the look of complete awe on your features that has the grin of pride and the bubble of laughter escaping his throat.

“I had the same expression when I first saw this place too. Don’t worry, you get used to it.”

He was right, you would get used to it eventually, because this place was going to be your home, which was perhaps the reason you’d stopped and just… stared. They’d built it up to be something because they had memories in this place - they’d established themselves there, and every time they’d spoken of it on the drive, you’d been under the assumption that you’d come to love it because they did. You’d assumed there would be touches of them, but that it would need some of you too - and you were right, it would - but it still seemed perfect.

You weren’t sure when Sam had moved to stand at the bottom of the steps, looking up at you with a small sense of pride shining in his eyes, and that beautiful grin on his face, but once again it was enough to propel you forward.

“I - I know you stumbled upon this place yourselves and have since discovered more about it as time passes but I - may I have a tour?”

It seemed to be the perfect question to ask, because within moments Dean shucked the jacket you’d returned to the back of a chair and the two brothers sprung into action. The three of you moved through each room at the pace you set, and while they provided as much information as they could about each room - whether it be the initial intended purpose of the room, their use of it, or their experience with cases or memories involved in the space, some question always pushed past your lips. Your interest in their home seemed enough for one brother to begin a story or thought, and the other to pick up on it. It was an action you’d believed others might have perceived as rude -- as if they were interrupting one another, but the exchange of looks, of small shrugs and grins was enough to tell you that, while not completely normal, it was something they would accept.

Once you’d returned to the main living space, the walls lined with books and the floor littered with an array of tables and chairs, Dean gave you once last long look before muttering something about cleaning his gun and unpacking. You watched him leave before turning to look at Sam expectantly. Dean had been reluctant, which meant they’d made some sort of deal about spending time with you.

“So these are the books you’ve been telling me all about? The ones filled with lore, and theories… history?” You asked, eyebrow arching slightly.

“Uh- aha ya.” Running a hand over the back of his neck, Sam’s gaze was quick to move from you to the shelves surrounding you.

“I’m not sure I remember, let alone know how to read,” you mutter, brow furrowing slightly in silent question as to whether or not that’s something you should really be ashamed of, “but could you show me some of the books maybe?”

Sometime during your question, your eyes had moved from Sam out of nervousness, instead taking in the lengthy shelves and surrounding area, so when an answer wasn’t offered forth immediately, you nearly cringed. Swallowing the lump of discomfort that was forming in your throat, you dared to look at him. There was a conflicting look on his face, as if he wanted to say something but wasn’t sure how to phrase it. Sam was quick to snap out of it, his head dipping into a succession of nods.

“Yeah - yeah uh I’ll show you some of my favorites.” There is a quick flash of a smile, but the hesitation in his eyes was still prevalent. “And if for some reason you can’t read… then I’ll teach you. Just - just like I’m sure Dean would - will - teach you about hunting or cars or whatever else you want to learn.”

Your lips quirked - only slightly - into the smallest of smiles. “Thanks Sam. I’d really appreciate that.”

Time passed after that, but you found it hard to distinguish whether it was flying or creeping by. You were relieved to note that most words on the pages of the books Sam showed you, as well as a select few you pulled out yourself, held real meaning. There were a few you asked for clarification on, some Sam pointed out as being newer, or slang, others even he was uncertain on. At some point during your trek around the large room, Dean had reemerged. Seated within one of the more comfortable of the chairs with his feet propped up and a beer in his hand, he busied himself with looking for cases on the computer. But it wasn’t long before you caught him watch you pursue the endless number of books, his lips quirking into a smile that seemed the vanish the second he caught either you or Sam watching him.

“What’s the most unique book you have?” The question is perhaps the first words that have truly broken the silence within the bunker in the last hour, but they seem much needed. Particularly because of the silent conversation Sam and Dean appear to be having via looks and facial expressions can either be a good, or terribly bad thing.

“Oh. Well, the Men of Letters have a few odd books - but most of them we’ve managed to translate. Kevin, or Castiel can handle most anything we throw at them, but there’s one that neither can crack. Castiel claims it’s older than most Angels.”

You glanced between the two brothers, eyebrow arching slightly.

“And you have this thing here? Can I see it?”

A few minutes later, you were seated at one of the tables, a stone tablet in your hands, and a few thin pieces of parchment beside it.

“We assume someone transferred it from stone to paper a few hundred years ago, but outside of a folder and box with a bunch of question marks, there isn’t much too it.” Sam informed, seating himself opposite you.

You gave him a mildly impressed look before your eyes dropped to the tablet in front of you. Within seconds your brows were crinkling together, a frown tugging at your lips.

“What do you mean Castiel couldn’t read this?” With a glance at the Winchesters, you returned to the papers.

Deans attention waned from the laptop in his lap to looking at you fully, eyebrows arched and beer long forgotten.

“Excuse me?”

“Well, it isn’t that hard to read. It’s about the Daughter of God. It’s pretty vague, but the writer keeps calling this Daughter of God her mother.” You muttered, glancing up.

Before either Winchester can open their mouth to say anything, there is a faint flutter of wings before a man appears at the top of the stairs.

This time, you were certain time slowed. All senses but sight dulled - the sound of the brothers greeting or your chair knocking back as it hit the floor were both vague and distant. The man at the stairs appeared directly in front of you, his seemingly stoic face crinkled in confusion.

“Stay back, Angel.”

The threat ripped from your throat in a near growl, one that seemed to shock the entire room back into motion.

“Y/N. Y/N!” The hands pressing against your arms and then moving to cup your face are what drew you back completely into focus. With reluctance, your eyes ripped from the unidentified man to Dean’s, whose expression was no longer masked but shined bright with worry.

“That’s Castiel, okay? He’s a friend.”

The words ought to have reassured you, but instead your eyes flickered back to look at Castiel, the frown returning to your face.

“Y/N here uh - she can read that tablet.” Sam interjected, clearing his throat awkwardly as a hand motioned over toward the table.

“She is not human.”

Scoffing softly, you gave your head a shake, trying to get around Dean to no avail. “Someone has brilliant observation skills; shall we test out your theory?”

Deans face appeared in front of your almost immediately, his hands leaving your face to grip your arms and direct you back a few steps.

“Y/N. What is with the hostility?”

“You keep telling me that Lucifer - the man who apparently held me against my will and used me against you, the man who I apparently hate to the point of wanting to destroy him - is or was also an Angel at some point or another. You may trust him, but I don’t.”

It was enough for his grip to loosen around you. With a few steps, you were back to where you’d been standing before, eyes narrowing onto the trench coated man as Sam explained who you were, and what you’d found.

“That would explain it. Your presence releases an aura of power, like the essence of God after he leaves a place.” Castiel muttered, gaze turning from the tablet to look at you.

“The Daughter of God is as close to an urban legend as the Angels have. Did the tablet mention who might have transcribed it?”

“Emma.” The reply is as brief as you can make it, and from the tense set of Castiel’s shoulders, you realize he is just as unsettled by your presence as you are his.

“Very well, I’ll return to Heaven and begin the search immediately.”

Without waiting for confirmation, there is a flapping of wings and he is gone. A look is exchanged between yourself and the Winchesters before you sigh and give your head a shake.

“That’s Cas for you.” Sam muttered.

“Come on, I’ll make us some dinner.” Dean replied, turning on his heel to disappear into the kitchen. With one last exchanged look between you and Sam, you offered a shrug and followed Dean.

#supernatural fanfiction #supernatural one shot #imagine supernatural #sam winchester fanfiction #sam winchester imagine #sam x reader #dean winchester fanfiction #dean x reader #dean winchester imagine

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punkscowardschampions · 5 years

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Drew & Carly

Drew: doing my head in Carly: record time Carly: wanna swap seats Drew: funny Drew: sitting next to ro, remember, not ali Carly: shes alright Drew: don't think she's down Drew: soz babe Carly: ha Carly: k but shes not dtf you either Carly: poor baby Drew: fuck off Drew: how would you know Carly: your mood is a giveaway Carly: i kno when youre frustrated boy Drew: bet I won't be by the time this trip is over Carly: idc Carly: make that bet w your gf Drew: lies Drew: poor baby Drew: don't reckon she'd appreciate that Carly: ha Carly: why would i lie Drew: 'cos even if you do care, can't have what you want Carly: i can fuck you whenever i want Carly: rn if i wanted to Drew: weren't talking 'bout me Drew: but nah Carly: k Carly: now youre lying Drew: nope Carly: you didnt come into my inbox to cry about your gf Carly: or did you & your that lad now Carly: embarrassing Drew: don't be a bitch Drew: looking for some peace and quiet is that so much to ask Carly: from me yea Carly: you kno i dont do quiet Carly: not w you Drew: ha Drew: cute Carly: & true Carly: arent you bored Carly: dont you wanna have some fun this trip Drew: i told you i'm going to Drew: w ro Carly: yea Carly: get out my inbox then i gotta make my own Carly: plenty of lads on this coach Drew: and girls Carly: nah Carly: back to boys you kno Drew: shame Drew: good times Carly: yea but youre boring now Drew: fuck off Drew: nah i ain't Drew: ali is Carly: tell your missus Carly: ali can still party Drew: not with us Carly: yea Carly: if she wanted Carly: youre the one on a chain Drew: i do what i want Drew: whenever i want Carly: do something then Carly: be fun Drew: whaddya want me to do on this packed coach Carly: the bathroom is free Carly: but k youre too scared to start the party Drew: not scared Drew: just not a moron Carly: k Carly: ill ask someone else Drew: u do that Drew: know it won't be as good as me Carly: ha Carly: maybe used to be Carly: reckon youve lost your touch Carly: married life will do that like Drew: you reckon? Drew: you wish Carly: i kno Carly: its written on you Carly: bored & boring Carly: you couldnt turn me on now Drew: yea yea yea Drew: otherwise written all over your face, babe Carly: ha no Carly: check me out as much as you want you wont see that Drew: so up yourself Carly: cuz im not gonna waste my time w you k Carly: my das more fun than you rn Drew: know you're a traveller like Drew: but that's sick Carly: you cant even slag me off proper these days Carly: who are you Carly: sad Drew: 'cos I don't need another bird doing my head in Drew: all chat but you're the same as her, like Carly: fuck off Carly: nothing ive said i wouldnt follow through on Carly: youre the one thats being a pussy Drew: yeah? well you're a nag Drew: I don't wanna fuck you, get off my dick Carly: get out my inbox Carly: you came pouting to me Drew: 'scuse me for thinking you were different Carly: what do you want boy? Drew: forget it Carly: nah Carly: ask for it Drew: Already did Drew: just be a laugh, yeah, don't get on at me Carly: k Carly: whats in it for me tho? Carly: genuinely asking Drew: idk Drew: didn't promise there was Carly: least youve finally stopped lying Drew: ugh Drew: thought we were getting somewhere girl Carly: im only saying Carly: dont get in a mood Drew: i ain't Drew: who are u sharing a room with Carly: nobody Carly: the numbers are off Drew: lucky Carly: you should be more like me & people wouldnt wanna share w you Drew: always have caleb Drew: banging on and on about his girl Carly: no thanks Drew: didn't think so Drew: nightmare Carly: welcome to the other bed Carly: unless your gonna call me a nympho over it Drew: teachers won't be down but might take you up on that Carly: idc Carly: dont think they were down for me being on this trip Carly: but i paid my money Drew: yeah, that's all they care about Drew: though they were all out there with the behave or you'll get kicked threats Drew: standard Carly: yea Carly: try & send me back home my ma & da arent there Carly: be very irresponsible like Drew: they never are Drew: but they don't need to know that Carly: news to them i had a passport Drew: yeah, only last 5 years don't they? Drew: guess when you was 10 they couldn't always piss off without ya Carly: ha Carly: youre funny when youre not sulking Drew: shut up Drew: 'cos you're alright when you're not being a bitch Carly: ive not been a bitch to you since i was making you work for your 3way Drew: well that was hot so acceptable Carly: k so i can be a bitch if im hot yea Carly: ill remember that Drew: goes without saying Drew: fit girls can get away with anything Carly: so you do think im fit Drew: you know you are Carly: yea but idk what you think Drew: gotta keep you guessing, babe Carly: please Drew: please what? Carly: please do Carly: im bored Drew: same Carly: i can pass you my water bottle if you want Carly: all i could smuggle tho Drew: realtalk Drew: no one's smuggling over borders Drew: not worth the aggro Drew: you'll get stuff here no doubt, i'm losing a week's wages 😒 Carly: its a holiday Carly: itll be worth it Carly: especially if you arent all talk Carly: your gf be losing her v like Drew: i ain't but she is Drew: gonna be hard to get her to 🤐 but if anyone can Carly: in it for the challenge Carly: i get it now Drew: what's to get Drew: she's hot Carly: k Carly: but uptight Drew: better than loose Carly: nah Carly: dont tell me you dont want a girl whod let you do anything Drew: not if she's let every cunt do the same, nah Drew: besides, can train a girl like Ro Carly: she isnt stupid enough to blindly follow commands Carly: or you around Drew: 🤔 we'll see Drew: not that its stupid Drew: i'm not fun to be around? Carly: you were Carly: before you got a wife Drew: not asking for ya Drew: but see, you know what you're missing Carly: youre a good fuck ive never denied it Carly: fun when you want Drew: exactly Drew: its Ro's turn to find out Carly: so go chat her up Carly: you love foreplay Drew: don't reckon she wants her first time to be in the coach toilets Carly: ha Carly: didnt mean you had to do it now boy Drew: you know Drew: work fast Carly: yea Carly: thats romance Carly: dont keep a girl waiting Drew: I am capable Drew: if the situation calls Carly: dont waste that info on me Drew: never Carly: seat swap w me tho Carly: up the front is not a party Carly: you throw up once cuz your hanging & get stuck there for life Drew: 😂 Drew: diddums Drew: alright Drew: can chat up woodfield Drew: caleb will be buzzin' Carly: shes got a body under those new jeans Carly: a goer i reckon Drew: you would Drew: only boys my arse 😏 Carly: gotta do something Carly: bored enough to break a few rules Drew: i see u Drew: MY girlfriend, remember? Carly: what do you think you see Drew: just sayin', asking to move, then saying you're gonna lez off Drew: not that thick 😂 Carly: but obvious Carly: as fantasies go you could do better Drew: been there Drew: done that Carly: not w her Carly: shes no ali but thats mean Drew: again, doubt she'll want you there to help with the devirginizing Drew: try not to take it person Carly: i dont wanna be there Carly: the first time is always shit Drew: nah Drew: not with me Carly: ha Carly: youre not that good Drew: pshhh Drew: don't be bitter Carly: im not Carly: its facts Carly: shell be so nervous youll be lucky if you get more than the tip in Carly: probs shes a crier too Drew: shut up Carly: its not your bad Carly: just how it is Carly: itll get better Carly: maybe good Drew: well it's off-putting Drew: men don't need to know about that stuff Drew: keep it to yourselves Carly: k Carly: just trying to help you be more than all chat Drew: yeah right Drew: like you wanna help her Carly: why wouldnt i Carly: i said shes alright Drew: still, no need to be that charitable Drew: why d'you care? Carly: not offering to warm her up for you babe Carly: ive probs hung out w her more than you have Carly: why shouldnt i care Drew: 'cos she ain't your girlfriend Drew: between me and her, not the fucking committee Carly: unlike you i can care about people im not fucking Drew: 🙄 Drew: whatevs Carly: why do you care if i talk about her or not Carly: that i kno her Drew: 'cos i know what girls are like Drew: always talking Carly: me and her arent bffs Carly: i wouldnt be talking to you if we were Drew: i'd hope not Carly: so dont cry Carly: im not telling her anything Drew: stop acting like you give a shit then Carly: im not acting anything Carly: thats all you babe Drew: fuck off Carly: nowhere to go Carly: busy coach remember Carly: what do you get out of being w her? Carly: she doesnt put out & she does your head in Carly: why bother Carly: there are other virgins in town, i think Drew: idk Drew: she's nice Carly: that it Drew: nah Drew: she's good girlfriend material Drew: you can see, idk why you want me to sing her praises to you Drew: masochist, like 😂 Carly: im only asking Carly: why dont you wanna sing her praises to everyone Drew: i'm not that sorta bloke Drew: cringe Carly: yea Carly: its sweet tho Drew: if you say so Drew: just makes me feel 🤢 Carly: ha Carly: better get up the front boy Drew: deffo Drew: any escape from the caleb and ali show Carly: true Carly: ms woodfield will distract you Carly: shes looking thirsty might offer her a drink Drew: queue for that toilet getting longer by the minute Carly: yea Carly: as if caleb & ali arent in there Carly: slacking Carly: like i taught her nothing Drew: probs just jerk him off in the seats like Drew: not backrow coolkids but still pretty standard Carly: aw Carly: cute Drew: how is that cute Carly: theyre in love Carly: dont be jealous Carly: youd like it if your girl offered to do you Drew: no they ain't Drew: she was with you not that long ago Drew: be on to the next soon Carly: nah Carly: she loves him & its mutual Drew: things change Drew: we don't need to make a song and dance every time someone gets with someone else like Carly: who is Carly: its no big Carly: but its still happening Drew: i'd rather just ignore it 'til it goes away Drew: not like you up in my business 😜 Carly: im not up in any part of you Carly: relax Drew: mhmm Drew: lie harder Carly: nah Carly: i wanna be but im not Carly: facts Carly: id be lying if i said i didnt want you Drew: i know Drew: prove it though Carly: how Carly: what do you want me to do Drew: brave the queue 🤳 Carly: k Carly: [Sends pics and video also because she knows he can't watch it in front of the squad] Drew: tease Drew: swap seats with me so ms woodfield can watch too Carly: prick Carly: youre a bigger tease than me tho Drew: no way Drew: i got the evidence to prove it now Carly: if i was a tease id have given you nothing Carly: let you sweat it Carly: like you are to me Drew: you ain't asked for anything Carly: but you kno what i want Carly: give me something Drew: [Sends ab pic that was just his last Insta] Carly: come on Carly: dont be like that Drew: what? Carly: such an arsehole Carly: im not begging Drew: 😂✌

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missjugheadjones · 7 years

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Chapter 15- Lights In the Darkness

Word Count: 4096

A/N: this one was not requested, but ive been having really bad writers block lately so to get out of it i wrote something i wanted to write. I was going to make a SERIOUSLY sad ending to this... but idk. maybe i’ll post an alternate ending if anyone is interested. Also i just realized its a very similar title to one of my older ones, oops lol. Much Love!

MasterList

Chapter 15

Lights in the Darkness

As you know from the past chapters, Riverdale is a dark and dreary place, full of mystery and secrets, betrayal and death. Again, as you already know I live in Riverdale, I am not just a narrator that happens to know the ins and outs of the story from watching from the sidelines or by some magical happening. I know the story because I am part of the story, I am living it and writing it as it happens. As every chapter of this book flies by before your eyes, just know that it was written right after what happened so I didn’t forget a single detail, so I didn’t leave anything out.

Riverdale is a dark and dreary place, and the mystery and secrets, betrayal and death inhabiting its very air affects every single person living in it. You may be asking ‘How does one deal with such an environment?” and let me be the one to tell you that it is very hard not to get sucked into the darkness yourself. It is possible not to of course, and that’s what I want to talk about in this chapter, I want to take a break from the dreariness of the murder, I want to talk about my light that keeps the darkness at bay.

Her name is Y/N Y/L/N, the sun to my days and the stars to my night. Y/N moved to Riverdale only a few weeks before the murder of Jason Blossom took place, only a few weeks before our very own Veronica Lodge. She was easily a source of happiness for everyone around her right away. She came here alone, wanting to get away from her family back in (Your/City/Name). She found herself a cheap, one bedroom apartment and she settled in nicely, barely bringing anything with her to this quaint small town. Before the murder, this town was a great one to live in, the sun was bright and the birds weren’t afraid to sing. Peoples lives seemed perfect, although I know now they were far from it. Small towns that appear happy have a funny way of hiding the true problems residing inside it, it takes a darkness to bring those problems out of the shadows.

I met her at Pops. She was sitting in my booth eating a burger and watching Netflix on her phone. Instead of sitting right away though, I observed her for a moment or two. I watched as she scolded the screen out loud, not caring if anyone in the diner was staring, which they were. I watched as her face would light up or darken, mimicking the mood of whatever she was watching. I noticed how her (Y/H/C) hair fell over her face and how her (Y/E/C) eyes shone bright. She turned and noticed me, smiling softly, and that ladies and gentlemen is the exact moment I knew I was done for. I fell in love in that moment, it hits you like a ton of bricks and it knocks the wind out of you.

I’m not much of a smiling person if you didn’t figure that out already, but I made an exception for her. I always make an exception for her. I smiled back and walked the rest of the way to the booth, and she removed her headphones.

“You’re in my booth.” I said, and she leaned back, giving me a slight smirk.

“I didn’t know you could own booths, do you pay rent?” she asked, and I chuckled. She had a sense of humor just like mine, dry and sarcastic.

“I pay the amount of rent in burgers and milkshakes, and I always sit here, so yes.” I replied and she nodded, chuckling to herself.

“Well, it looks like you just got yourself a roommate.” She said, and I sat down in front of her.

“I can deal with that, just don’t tell anyone I gave in so easily, they’ll start trying to take advantage of my kindness as well.” I teased and she nodded her head, sticking out her pinky finger. I had looked down at her finger and then back up at her, giving her a puzzled look. “Are you five? You still do pinky promises?” I asked, and she rolled her eyes.

“Do it or I call the landlord over and tell him you’ve been trashing the place and need to be evicted.” She joked and I linked my pinky with hers. “I promise not to tell anyone you gave in like a little bitch so easily to me.” she said, laughing, and I quickly pulled my pinky away, giving her a slight glare and a smirk. I could tell from our first interaction our friendship would be full of back and forth banter like this, sarcastic and bitchy comments thrown back and forth at each other. Relentless and never-ending. I was looking forward to it. That night we talked for what felt like forever, getting to know each other. I found myself spilling details about myself to her that I haven’t even told my closest friends, she pulled them out of me somehow. She felt safe, like my secrets were safe in her knowledge.

After that, she came every night and so did I. We talked and got to know each other even more, and we instantly became best friends. Seeing her was slowly becoming part of my normal routine, and if I didn’t see her at least once a day, I felt like I had wasted my day and hadn’t lived it to the fullest. Thankfully she felt the same, and we went out on adventures together. When Archie had cancelled our road trip, she was quick to offer that she and I take a smaller one, so we did. We climbed into her small car and drove all the way back to her hometown, and she showed me all her favourite spots there. We ran into a cousin of hers, and they talked about how worried her aunt was. When she asked about her mom and dad, her cousin sorrowfully looked at her and informed her that they hadn’t mentioned her.

That night was the first time I had seen her cry, sitting in her car, her head rested on the steering wheel and tears fell freely from her eyes. I looked in through the drivers-side window and I opened the door. She quickly sat up, wiping away her tears and giving her best fake smile, but I wasn’t having it. I took her hand and I pulled her out of the car, wrapping my arms protectively around her. I held her in my chest, as if to shield her from anything else that might make her feel this way, anything else that would make her cry. It was that night she had told me the extent of her prior home life, and her mental state as well. It crushed me to hear, and I swore that I was going to make everything better for her, just like she was doing for me.

When we drove back she was silent most of the time. I didn’t try to break it, I knew she needed to think, and although I didn’t have my license I took the wheel from her and drove the rest of the way. We got to her apartment around midnight and she threw her stuff into her room, sprawling out on her bed. I didn’t know what to do with myself in that moment, I just watched as she cried. I must have stood there for what felt like forever, when I was with her time went by slowly. She sat up slowly, taking my hand and she pulled me down on the bed as well.

I laid down in her bed and pulled her into my chest, she snuggled into me and we were together like that for most of the night. She fell asleep, and so did I, and it was some of the best sleep I had gotten in what felt like forever. I woke up to her not in her bed, and I got worried, wondering if she ran off because of what happened to her back home. My worries soon resided though as I heard singing from the kitchen, and I laughed to myself. I got out of bed, and what I saw made my heart melt. I saw her dancing in the kitchen, singing along to her favourite songs and cooking pancakes. She turned and noticed me, but instead of ceasing her singing and dancing, she brought the spatula up to her face and sang to me. Have you ever had that moment where something amazing happens, and your chest tightens and the room seems to get warmer, the light in the room becomes brighter, and you find yourself wishing for that moment to last forever? That’s exactly what happened to me, and it was like I felt the exact moment I fell even deeper in love with her.

She walked up to me, spatula in hand and continued to sing, grabbing my hand with her free one and she attempted to get me to dance with her. Who was I to refuse? I awkwardly swayed with the music, causing her to laugh which made me laugh as well.

“Don’t like my dancing?” I asked, and she shook her head.

“I never said that.” She playfully argued.

“You’re laughing.” I said, and she shrugged.

“So are you.” She made a good point, and I didn’t have much of an argument for that, so instead I continued my awkward swaying. She rolled her eyes and started mimicking my dancing. “I can’t let you look stupid alone.” she said, and I smiled. Ladies and gentlemen, get yourselves a partner who won’t let you look stupid alone, they’re keepers for sure. It was then I realized she still had my hand, and she realized it at the same time too, looking down at our intertwined fingers. I couldn’t stop myself in this moment, I took a leap of faith and I pulled her towards me, crashing my lips into hers. Have you ever heard the expression ‘and sparks flew’? They did, we both felt them, and we sat there for what felt like forever enjoying the moment, neither of us wanting to pull away.

“Shit.” She mumbled against my lips, pulling apart quickly and flipping the very burnt pancake.

“You burnt the pancake.” I laughed, and she walked to me, leaning in very close.

“Yeah, I was a little distracted.” And with that, she draped her arms around my neck and pulled me down into another kiss. That was the day we became official, and if you ask me now what the best day of my life was, I’ll most likely answer with that one. Things between us were great, until that is the day Jason Blossoms body was discovered. It really shook up everything in our little town, as you all know. Not only did it affect the Blossom family’s relationship with each other, but it shook up relationships of all kind around the town. Y/N and I were no exception. This novel was a spontaneous decision I made, deciding I wanted to leave something behind in this world, tell the truth about Jason and finally put my writing skills to use.

She supported me from day one, and sat with me at Pops while I write, which if you didn’t know already is where I do most of my writing. Throughout the process of writing this novel, I’ve gone to great lengths to get the truth, lots of investigating and getting myself into dangerous situations, which she would always come with me on. I told her she shouldn’t, I was scared she was going to get hurt, and we even had our first major fight about it.

“Jughead, there is no way in hell I am letting you go after that car alone!” she had exclaimed, to which I had thrown my hands up and rolled my eyes, getting very annoyed.

“How many times do I have to tell you, I won’t be alone, Betty will be with me and I’ll be fine, I can take care of myself.” I told her for what had to be the millionth time. She crossed her arms across her chest, and leaned against her counter.

“I don’t care, I’m coming so I can make sure you’re okay.” she said, and I scoffed.

“No, this is not your car to find, this is mine and Bettys.” I said angrily, raising my voice. I regret it now, she was only just trying to look out for me.

“I don’t care, I don’t want you getting hurt Jughead!” she yelled. This is where I really regret the things I said, I was so angry in the moment, I didn’t stop to think about what I was doing, or what I was saying to her.

“You’re just jealous of Betty, aren’t you?” I yelled, and she stood frozen. Her face went from angry to saddened, and I felt my heart drop in that moment.

“No Jughead, I am not jealous, why would I have any reason to be jealous of you two, unless you have something you’d like to tell me?” she asked, backing slowly out of the kitchen. Before I had any chance of answering, she spoke again. “You know what, never mind. I don’t want to know if I should be jealous, and you know what else? Go on with Betty, go find the car. Have fun, and just know that even though I’m pissed at you, if you need me you can call.” And with that she exited the kitchen, locking herself into our bedroom that we shared in her apartment. When I look back at it, I feel lucky, most people would have told me to not call even if I needed something. She loved me enough to tell me she’d still answer, and here I was accusing her of things she didn’t feel and being an all-around ass to her.

That night I went with Betty, and we found the car. It was pouring rain, and we didn’t notice the car that had followed us there. As you know, when we opened the trunk we found Jasons belongings, and some drugs, and that’s how we knew that Pollys story checked out. When we were making our way back to the police station, a car was behind us, and we didn’t notice until we heard the roar of the engine and saw it coming straight towards the two of us. Before I could comprehend what was happening, Y/N came out of no-where pushing Betty and I out of the way. We hit the ground, covered in mud and heard a scream, and the car sped off. She got hit.

I felt as if the life had drained out of me, everything went into a blur and I was dizzy, this couldn’t have happened. I was having a nightmare, I had to have been having a nightmare. I couldn’t move, I wasn’t able to move and I faintly heard Betty yelling for me to help her with Y/N. Y/N wasn’t responding, Betty was in a panic as her friend laid in the mud, broken and bloody, risking her life for the two of us. I finally snapped myself out of my trance, Y/N needed me. I picked her up, scared to move her because I didn’t want to break her more, she was so fragile and delicate in my arms. She looked so crumpled and defeated, so unlike her strong and confident composure she usually wore, and I started crying.

“Jughead, we need to get her to the hospital and go to the police station!” Betty yelled, running down the street. I ran after her, tears mixing with the rain. We bust through the ER doors, I carried her to the lady at the desk, and I couldn’t make out the words, I was panicked as I saw the life drain out the light of my life. Everything was going dark, I couldn’t do it without her. I couldn’t do anything without her. The lady at the front desk didn’t need any words, she called for the doctors and men came running out, placing her on a gurney and taking her into the hall. I tried to follow, but they held me back. Betty took my arm, wiping tears from my face, but I could tell she was crying too.

“I can’t do this without her. I won’t do this without her.” I sobbed, and Betty shook her head.

“She’ll be fine, Juggie. I promise.” She said, trying to comfort me. She went to the police station alone that night, but only after I had told her she had to. She put up a fight, wanting to stay with Y/N, but I told her that they knew we found the car and that they’d be after it. When they found the car on fire, I couldn’t help but feel guilty that Y/N had risked her life for nothing. I spent nights there, crying and talking to doctors, nurses, and police officers, and never leaving her side unless I was forced to.

“Jughead, you need to go to school, you’ve missed too many days and the teachers are getting upset.” Betty said, leaning against the doorframe to Y/Ns hospital room. I didn’t acknowledge her presence because to me, there was no one else in this world but Y/N, even if she hadn’t woken up in days. “Jughead Jones, did you hear a-“

I didn’t let her finish her sentence, and I was refusing to leave. “I heard you, I just don’t care.” I had shot at her angrily, although I shouldn’t have, none of this was her fault. Thankfully, she didn’t take it to heart, she brushed it off and walked into the room and stood beside me. We stood in silence for a few minutes, just watching at Y/N laid there, helplessly and broken. Tears started falling down my face, and Betty was quick to notice, she pulled me into a hug and I accepted, and I cried into her shoulder.

“She’ll be fine Jug, she’ll wake up and you’ll be able to hold her and love her and apologize soon enough.” Betty told me, trying to comfort me, but at that moment I wasn’t listening. My head was running through scenarios where I could have saved her, what if when she pushed us, I had grabbed her hand and pulled her down with me. What if I had just let her come in the first place, then maybe she wouldn’t have had to sneak around. This was my fault, I hurt the love of my life.

“Juggie?” a small whisper called, and I quickly pulled apart from Betty and turned around to see Y/N waking up.

“Y/N!” I flew to her side, taking her hand in mine, and she smiled up at me.

“I totally told you so.” she faintly giggled, and I broke out in a grin. “You needed me, you’re welcome.” That’s where I chuckled, nodding my head furiously.

“You told me, I didn’t listen, and I am so incredibly sorry.” She rolled her eyes and sat up, and I watched as pain spread across her face at the action.

“Damn, if I had known taking one for the team would hurt so bad I wouldn’t have joined.” She teased, and Betty laughed slightly. Y/N looked past me and saw Betty, and smiled as the blonde made her way towards the bed.

“I don’t think you had much of a choice but to join, your best friend and boyfriend are on it.” Betty said, and Y/N chuckled, nodding her head.

“You made a good point Bets.” The rest of the day, Betty and I sat with Y/N talking about whatever, and she was released from the hospital the next day. Even though she had a broken arm, broken ribs, and a concussion, Y/N continued to be a happy person, and I was glad to have her back. That night, we were lying in bed talking when I started to hear sniffling. I turned to her and saw she was crying, and when I asked her why, she spilled that the whole Jason was affecting her, she too felt the darkness that was lingering around Riverdale. She said she was scared because she felt like it was triggering her depression, making it worse than usual. I couldn’t help but feel my heart drop. She told me she thought she was crazy for what she was feeling, and I shook my head, pulling her carefully into my chest.

“You’re not crazy, the whole town can feel it.” I reassured her, and she nodded her head slightly. “I’ve been feeling it, ever since Jason turned up shot in the head, the darkness is all I notice around here anymore. It’s impossible to not be somewhat affected by it, but it’s possible not to get sucked into it, I’ve found a way.”

“How?” She whispered this simple question so softly, it made me smile.

“Focus on the things you love. For me, it’s you. You have been my guiding light through all the pain and sadness that lingers around this town. You made me smile and laugh when the darkness is trying to make me frown and cry. You make me feel safe and happy instead of the fear and sadness that has infested this small town of ours. It’s not a bad town, it just has a really bad thing hanging over it.” I said and she sat up, looking me in the eyes and she leaned in to kiss me. I met her halfway, and we poured as much love and affection as we could in this soft, gentle kiss. When we pulled apart, I could see her eyes were still watering.

“Forsythe.” I smile at her use of my real name, I liked it when she said it. “I love you.” she said, and my heart rate picked up. That was the first time she had ever said those three words to me. I knew I loved her, as we know I fell for her the first time I saw her, and I had been carrying those three words around with me like a weight on my shoulder, wanting nothing more to tell her, but I was afraid. After she told me, I felt as if I knew I was going to spend the rest of my life with her, I knew that I wanted to. My future was in stone, it was going to be me and her against the world, nobody was going to stop our love.

“Y/N, I love you too.” A tear fell down her face, and she pulled me into another kiss. She told me later that she had been carrying those words with her for what felt like forever as well, and when I said them back she swore she’d love me forever. We know that we are meant to be, a match made in heaven, as some might say.

This is not the end of the book, this was a break from the dreariness of the story I’m sharing with you. I wanted to give you some light in this dark book, I wanted to attempt to do to you what Y/N does to me. Her and I still solve the case, and you’ll hear a lot more about her in the pages to come. I can only hope that when you see her name, it will shine and make this sad story a little more bearable as she does for everyone who lived through it. I hope you find your Y/N, because everyone deserves their own personal sun in the day and stars in the night. Everyone deserves love.

Jason deserved it, Polly deserved it, but Jason was taken away from this world too soon, and as of right now, the only lead we have is Veronica Lodges dad. A new theory recently came to light, a theory that made Hiram a suspect in the poor boy’s murder, a theory that told a story of Hiram killing a kid to get back at the Blossoms. A life taken in the name of revenge, so many opportunities and stories that will never unfold because of jealousy and rage. That is what the next chapter is about, this is where things get dark once again.

Tag List:

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#jughead jones x reader #jughead x reader #jughead jones #betty cooper #jason blossom #cw riverdale #jughead fluff #jughead angst #jughead fanfiction #fanfiction #missjugheadjones

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cchsctv · 6 years

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The Trip of a Lifetime

as i sit here in the CTV room, the day after we got back from nashville at 2:54pm wanting to go home bc im literally running on 3 hours of sleep and alfredo thinks its a good time to be a good teacher and let his tv1 students edit their musicals????? i can honestly say, the separation anxiety from the group and withdrawals from STN as a whole are so real and so heartbreaking. being able to wake up and walk 2 feet to whatever room i choose and behind the doors are some of the people that i love the most. its so surreal. before this trip, we were, mere, a group of friends. but as the trip progressed, we became a family. and thats cliche and all. but for STN2017, i can’t say that. i can’t say we were a family. STN2018 exceeded my expectations and i wouldnt change it for the world.

Since i didn’t blog the night of trash n i’s individual. lets get into that. we got into the room with the prompt pickup 30 minutes before and we met up w schwammy and chadster since movie trailer was also getting their prompt at the same time as we were. i think my favorite part of prompt pickup was the fact that a guy from ithica college or whatever the heck it was called. CAME UP TO US AND STARTED TALKING ABOUT THE COLLEGE MEANWHILE ITS 8:29 AND THE PROMPT COMES OUT AT 8:30. the clock struck 8:30 and the amount of speed ashton n i whipped our head around to get the prompt seemed so extra but that ithica guy had it coming freakin idiot. anyways. we got the prompt and we didnt look at it until we got outside by the big staircase. we read it and we booked it back to the room to start brainstorming. we got an idea kinda fast, we both unanimously agreed to take the metaphorical route of I Walk the Line. bc we thought everyone was gonna go the geometry route. WHICH THEY DID AND IT WON????????? IM FINE WE’RE FINE. ANYWAYS. we got our concept and we start filming and filming without a script and without shot comp in mind or written down is VERY difficult and lead to much frustration and confusion and doubts in our story line. seeing THE ashton bosse break down bc he was not proud of what we were doing and he thought it made no sense at all had to be the most heartbreaking thing to have witnessed. i think i wouldve lost it too.. bc as the one to figure out the concept, i still had no idea what it was about tbh. i had no idea wth we were filming and what order it was being filmed in. i think one of the main reasons i didnt break down was the fact that i KNEW that no matter what footage we got.. we were gonna pull thru and it was gonna be amazing. and it freaking was. ashton and i went into the editing room so chill thinking, “what we got sucks, we’re just gonna put some clips together and export” so throughout the whole 3 hours, we LITERALLY had a picnic, within the first hour we had eaten a bag of popcorn, doritos, laffy taffy, ASHTON ATE ALL THE FUN DIP, and some gummy bears. we were literally so chill that we took a photo booth picture on my laptop of us catching the gelatinous bears in our mouth. its iconic. we also kept loooking back at becca and chad and nicole n bri and they all seemed so into it but meanwhile ashton accidentally spilled a cup of water after specifically telling me not to, OH AND I HOPE TAYLOR FINALLY GOT THE RIGHT SANDWICH #iykyk anyways trash n i exported and had about 15 minutes to spare. we were both so incredibly unexpectedly proud of the outcome which was surprising bc we literally watched it again after it was the hard drive and it ends and we look at each and other and simultaneously shrug our shoulders and go "yeah ok." seeing jimmy pg's face as it ended when we showed them after really made me feel like we had done something right and made me more confident than i was already. he always stressed to make it clear, and to make the audience feel what you want them to feel, and he said we did that. so that was dope.

anyways after we waited for becca and chad and schwammy's face when he met up w them was the cutest thing ever. you guys killed it #proud, bri n nicole were next and literally i dont think anyone has experienced 2nd hand stress as much as everyone watching them TRY to export did. but they did it woo. felipe and melissa freakin exported w 45 minutes to spare. APPLAUSE TO EVERYONE BC ALL OF CTV MADE DEADLINE.

line dancing was probably the greatest excursion (#vocab) we had all trip. ACTUALLY DAVE N BUSTERS I LOVEEEEEEE MY LIGHT UP PINEAPPLE SHOUTOUT TO JAKE MAYOR AND SHOUTOUT TO JIMMY PG FOR NAMING US THE BEST NEWS SEGMENT IN CRAZY 8'S BC GIRLLLLLLL I WOULDNT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO WITOUT IT. just a little apprecation post for my #softnews/softstanduppartner BUT back to line dancing. dancing like freakin crazy bats and in a circle and just hearing ethan yell FAMILY the whole time just idk like becca said it was surreal and i couldnt believe that i was able to be there in the presence of such talented individuals and be able to call them my best friends and the group of people that i can go to when i need a shoulder to lean on.

STN went by way too fast and it literally felt like 2 minutes but the days felt like 47 hours. the exhaustion and the constant walking around that damn hotel was so unnecessary but i would do it all day everyday if it meant being with this group of people forever.

to the presidents; thank you for leading us. thank you for leaving such a legacy that will be so hard to follow but one that we will try so hard to surpass. thank you for showing me what the family side of ctv is which ive been waiting for since my freshman year. i love you all as individuals and even more as leaders.

to my fellow officers; no better group to lead with than all of you together. we each have our own qualities that added up to one amazing and successful year.

to the senior oldbies; thank you for everything you've done and thank you for not giving up on this club even if it is your senior year and all you guys wanna do is graduate. youve showed massive perseverance and determination. and even if some of the seniors are newbies this year, youve impacted my life and have inspired me to be better and do better.

to my underclassmen newbs; its just the beginning guys. you all have 2 more years left and you guys are such passionate, persistent, and happy individuals and you should all be proud of what you guys have accomplished this weekend. and don't lose your drive to create and better yourselves as creators and journalists. youre in for a hell of a high school career.

to andrew n gabby; we are going to be seniors. its time to put everything we've learned and to turn it into everything we'll teach. to the newbies of this year and to the incoming newbies. i love you both. i can't wait to continue the CTV legacy. we can make it a 4peat. i know we can.

and last but not least,

to alfredo pichardo; i cant begin to express how grateful i am to be able to follow in your footsteps. thank you from the bottom of my heart for letting me into your world of TV production and to experience what it is to have the greatest high school experience ever. whether it be from ctv or sga. you're there through it all and i wouldnt want it any other way. i love you immensely and i hope i've made you proud and can continue to making you proud. because who knows. i might be changing my college major just because of this trip.

and with that. my stn2018 experience has come to a close.

here's to the laughs, the tears, the wepahs, but most importantly the bond that we've all created and i hope to keep that bond for as long as possible. i love you all always.

For CTV Soft News, this has been Aleggsama Pichardo the Wepah Queen.

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samanthasroberts · 7 years

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The Great Dying: Happiness Comes on Day Five

My family has come to Hawaii.

Hawaii, like an aging model, is still gorgeousjust sometimes in a fragile, wasted way.

My parents were here a long time ago; they came on their honeymoon, back in the Old World times. They bought a hotel-and-airfare package to Honolulu. They went scuba diving in the coral reefs and touched real rays and even one dolphin, they said.

Of course thats not an option anymore, but you can snorkel all you like in fiberglass reefs stocked with colorful farmed parrotfish and now and then a robot shark.

I love the parrotfishs bulgy, fat lips.

Lydia Millet

About

Lydia Millet is an American novelist and conservationist. Her third novel, My Happy Life, won the 2003 PEN Center USA Award for fiction, and she has been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize as well as a Guggenheim fellow. Her newest novel for young readers, The Bodies of the Ancients, comes out in January. The Great Dying is adapted from her YA book Pills and Starships, published by Akashic.

Back then, they ate at restaurants with views of sparkling aqua-blue bays; they went to luaus and drank fancy drinks with paper umbrellas. (We still have those; some of them have my parents names printed on them, from a honeymoon party that was held for them. robert & sara, says the faded writing, hawaii, may 2068.) They took small trips to the other islands, even the one that used to be a leper colony.

These days Honolulu and most of Oahu are seawall and salty aquifers and long, long blocks of abandoned buildings.

But they wanted Hawaii anyway. They were nostalgic. So this time we came to the Big Island, where were staying in a hotel with a view of Mauna Kea. Ive seen pictures of it from way back when, white at the top and majestic. Theres never snow anymore, even at 14,000 feet, but the volcano still looms.

Its just the four of us: my mother and my father, my little brother, and me. Its the four of us here for our last week.

A week is the period the companies usually suggest, once you finalize dates. Any longer and customers can get morbid, or even, if they decide to refuse their pharma, hysterical. And then the whole thing collapses. Any shorter and theres not enough time for good-byes.

My parents arent even that old. My mother had me in her late sixties, and two years later she had Samand though theyre vigorous and healthy on a physical level, on an emotional level theyve decided theyre done.

This would be harder without the training we did at home, without the pharma regimen they have us on. Even with those tools its still intense and vibrant, and everything seems inflected with meaning. Cursed with meaning, almost. Meaning attaches itself to everyday objectstoothbrushes, swimsuits, dangly earrings. Here in the hotel suite, I look at these normal items and everything seems like it portends something.

We just got here and already were on the brink of tears at times, or at least my mother and I are. My father and Sam are trying to act stoic, though now and then I catch one of their hands or a bottom lip trembling.

Meanwhile the edges of objects glow, blur, and fade as I look at them. They all seem permeable or aliveas though the aliveness of objects is there to compensate for my parents being ready to die.

I dont think its the pharma thats doing it, either. Sam and I arent even on a full pill regimen yet. On Day Four well have the option of a powerful tranquilizing blend: Thats Good-Bye Day. They like the contract holders to have their memories intact to say good-bye, because the fifth days pharmathe last pharmacauses forgetfulness. It brings on a long-term memory loss that wipes all memories associated with trauma, so they go out happy.

Happiness comes on Day Five.

Its early afternoon. My parents and my brother have gone out for a walk, and from the balcony of our suite I can see them strolling, their light clothes flapping in the breeze off the ocean, on a trail along the high jagged bluffs.

They carry umbrellas that protect them from the sun but also hide their faces from me. They could be anyone.

The bluffs were well engineered and have been planted to look wild, in a fake way. There are scrubby bushes from the desert, South American cacti and Chinese beach roses (according to the brochure) and even, now and then, dune grasses and sand. They hide the concrete seawall beneath the artificial bluffs so that you dont have to remember where you are or whenso you can almost forget youre not in Old Hawaii. Forget, in other words, that youre living at the tiny tail end of the fire-breathing dragon of our history.

The company my parents chose is a midsize outfit that likes to boast how it hires locals. So our rep, when it came down to it, was a lady my mother had once played golf with.

My mother isnt the golf type at all, by the way. She barely knows how to play, but one time she competed in a small-golf game for charityits mostly small golf these days, unless you have huge money to throw away on travel to one of the big courses, plus water-use finesand because she had a good sense of humor, at least till recently, she was basically the comic relief, I think.

But that one day was when she first met the rep, Jean.

Jean showed up at our apartment a couple of months ago, in the hour before dinnertime when we usually hang out together and talk about our day and stuff. The four of us were drinking cocktails in the living room. Being 15, Sam doesnt drink that much yet, but my mother had offered him a junior can of wheat beer.

And there she was at the doora compact, middle-aged woman from the 10th floor, frosted hair, braided wedge heels. Id seen her in the elevator once or twice.

This is Jean, said my mother softly. Jean, these are our children, Nat and Sam.

My name is Natalie, but I go by Nat.

The woman smiled and sat down and looked at us with a gentle but still oddly businesslike expression.

Your parents thought it might be good to have me here is how she started in.

Sam looked up right away. Hed been reading off his device.

Youre service, he said flatly.

I do work with a service company, said Jean.

She didnt miss a beat and didnt seem awkward; she had a forthright attitude without being domineering.

Youre the counselor, or whatever they call them, said Sam.

Im coordinating the personal aspect of outreach, conceded Jean.

On the contract we purchased recently, put in my mother, soft-voiced. Mine and your fathers.

Sam picked up his beer and drank most of the rest of it, a flush rising on his skin.

I had been sitting at the bay window, looking out over the garden. Our apartment complex was nice, with trees and water features and little striped chipmunks, because chipmunks always poll higher than squirrels.

Anyway, I liked to drink and take in the view.

But then, without really noticing my own movement, I turned so I was facing the room, my back against the view of the trees. In the pit of my stomach was a heavy new stone. At the same time my arms and legs felt light and liquid, like the bones in them had softened.

Why didnt you tell me? was the thing I said.

Were telling you now, sweetheart, said my mother, coming to sit beside me on the ledge. She put one arm around my shoulders. Its all according to schedule. The timing is what they recommend.

They encourage the parents not to get emotive when theyre disclosing. It only makes things worse. So my mother sat there next to me, her arm on my shoulders light, keeping a kind of professional attitude. With her free hand, she shook the cubes in her glass and raised it to drink.

My father stood facing us all with his tumbler of whiskey. His face bore a kind, bemused expression, as it used to when Sam or I would cry and he had no idea how to stop it.

You can still take it back, said Sam, with a kind of hurt urgency. Please, MomDad! Take it back!

Honey, said my mother, we dont want to. Or maybe a better way to say it is that we weve lived for you two ever since the tipping point, sweetheart. Youve been whats kept us going.

The tipping point was when we couldnt do anything more to stop the planets runaway warming. There were feedback loops in the climate system, like the albedo effect and water vapor increase in the atmosphere and plankton die-off in the oceans. So even though wed stopped emitting so much carbon and methane, we couldnt stop the seas or the temperature from rising. At least for a few centuries.

Both of you are practically grown up, said my mother. And when it comes right down to it, you dont really need usnot in the day-to-day sense. You think you do, maybe. But we know deep down that you can take care of yourselves. And you will.

You cant say what were feeling, said Sam, shaking his head. Only what you are.

It helps, for peace of mind, said Jean to Sam, if you keep argumentation for later. During this encounter, this time of disclosure, weve found that what allows for peacefulness is just listening.

Fuck listening! said Sam.

He was bright redlike someone had dealt him two slaps, one on each cheek.

And really, went on Jean calmly, as though he hadnt said anything, theres no rush here. Theres plenty of time. Remember, all contracts are voidable right up until the end. So theres absolutely nothing to make you nervous.

She didnt mention what we all knew: that theres a stiff financial penalty for last-minute cancellations. She didnt need to. My parents knew a couple whod canceled just five hours before their contract was about to start, but at that point it cost like 90 percent of the full price. And they ended up buying a new contract a couple of months later. That meant less money for the survivorsa tainted legacy.

But youre doing so well, begged Sam, turning to my mother.

I felt frozen.

Youre doing really well, youve got your moods well stabilized lately, he added.

No, yeah, son, said my father. Well were not too bad off. Were not personally complaining. We feel so lucky, compared to lots of people. No question. And you knowits not any one big thing. You know? Its not a dramatic situation, theres no particular, exact catalyst here. But we feel like, for one, heywhy not quit while were still ahead? You know, leave while weve got our health. And theres still no impairment. We all saw how Mamie got after she passed 100.

Youll be all right. You have such great resilience, added my mother. Wewe think youre very strong.

Oh please, said Sam.

Try to see it from our point of view, my father said. When we were young, there were still big animals swimming all over the oceans. The rivers and the forests had all this life in them, not just the squirrels and pigeons. You could go anywhere in the worldwe drove a gas-burning car when we were young. We flew on huge airplanes. Whenever we wanted to!

My parents keep thinking, somehow, that one day well hear about how different the world used to be and for the first time well understand them.

But isnt the world always different for the kids than it was for the parents? Sure, maybe its more different now. We get it.

But this is the only world we ever knew.

For Old World people like us, you know, said my mother, weve had as much as we can take of seeing everything go away. And we dont think we can bear towhat happens if, if it keeps going how we think it will.

Of course, we hope and pray it wont, said my father staunchly, tossing back the last of his whiskey. We figure, go early, while everythingswhile theres still hope. You know.

But I knew what he wasnt saying: They couldnt stand to see our future. They couldnt stand to watch us struggle.

Its never an easy decision, put in Jean.

Not helpful, I thought.

But then, the companies put the counselors in the room partly to deflect the family members feelings. Or fears and tears, as they say.

Your mother is so tired, Sam, said my father. He was fiddling with a pile of black and green olives on a tray. The olives were stacked in a pyramid, like in a picture Id once seen of ancient cannonballs. They should have been a tipoff that this was a special occasion, so to speak, because olives arent the kind of food we get every day. We both are, if Im perfectly honest, he added.

We sat there for a while, not knowing what to say.

Eventually Jean suggested we take a walk outside, through the courtyards of the complex. Walks are popular with service companies. Low-cost momentum, I guess, and a natural mood boost.

So we prepared ourselves fresh drinks, mostly in awkward silence, and took them with us into the elevator. We gazed outside as the car descended.

The elevators in our complex are external and made of a shaded glass, so you can see the sky and then the buildings below it, and as you drop, the trees in the courtyard come up to meet you.

Down through the green canopy, down along the tree trunks. Finally we landed facing the rock gardens, the fountains and splashing waterfalls of perfectly reclaimed sewage.

What a nice evening, said my mother, and we looked up dutifully at the fading bands of red and yellow in the western sky.

One thing we do have, in the New World, is beautiful sunsets.

I think what put my parents over the edge was a trip they took a few months ago, a light-rail weekender to the place where my father grew up. It wasnt a coastal town in the strict senseit wasnt right on the beachbut it was on a river delta, maybe 20 miles from where the true coast used to be. When the first storm surges came that couldnt be stopped by seawalls, the town got an influx of coastal refugees. Wave after wave followed, though most of the people didnt stay. Back then they were migrating to places like Ogallala, with fertile land or thick forests. If you look at an old map animation, you can see the masses moving away from the coasts, inward and upward from New York and Florida, from Southern California and the dying cities of the desertLas Vegas and Phoenix, say. The animations look like storms or vast, sky-darkening flocks of birds.

Sometimes, at home, I take a mild mood softener, sit at my screen, and gaze at the animations dreamily. You can customize them to show whatever details you wantthe continent shrinking as the oceans rise plus the massive migrations. I also like to watch the building of the seawalls. You see the swamping of Cape Cod, the swallowing up of the Florida Keys. Islands all over the oceans contract to the size of pinheads, then vanish. You can zoom way out and watch the planet rotate, see the surges of ocean that followed the melting of the ice.

Theres something lovely about it, lovely like Eno or Mozart, thoughespecially without pharmait can be sad.

Anyway, my fathers hometown had been leveled by the waves of refugee camps. Nothing was left of the houses and gardens of his leafy street, the school he walked to holding his younger brothers hand, the swing sets and climbing gyms at the park where he played. All that was gonethe whole town had turned to tent cities and landfills and fields of composting toilets.

My dads baby brother died a while back, a do-it-yourself deal. He hated the service companies. So other than us, my dad has no family left.

For a while after that weekend trip, he and my mother were so quiet that sometimes we forgot they were there.

Before we left for Hawaii, my parents helped Sam and me move to a group facility for survivors who arent old enough to live alone. The two of us will go back there after the trip, to live for a few months till I turn 18.

Then, the morning we left, Sam and I picked them up to catch the boat that brought us here. That was the worst. The apartment where we had lived was bare. Their luggage stood in a neat row against the wall, small cases packed with only bedrolls, some toiletries, and a few clothes. It was a shock to see the sterile whiteness of what used to be home.

Well, said my mother, turning back to cast a glance at the empty living room as we were filing out the front door, good-bye, everything.

Sams coming up the path again toward the hotel building, so close hes almost beneath meI see the circle of his shiny white umbrella. My parents arent with him. I squint: I can still see the two of them, out at the edge of the cliff.

The oceans turning anoxic, scientists say. Its what happened 250 million years ago in the Great Dying, otherwise known as the P-T extinction eventthe biggest mass die-off in Earths history. And now its happening again. The seawaters turned more acid from the carbon its storing, so the ocean food chain has mostly collapsed. Big burps of methane are bubbling out of the water along the continental shelves.

Where there used to be corals and whales and sea lions and seahorses, now theres mostly bacteria and archaea and viruses. The odd school of mutated jellyfish. Plus the garbage vortex and the chemical streams.

But still, Mom and Dad stand at the edge of the bluff, their arms around each others waists, and look out over the faraway waves like anything could be therelike those waves might still be the glittering roof of a marvelous underwater country.

The Fiction Issue

Tales From an Uncertain Future

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Source: http://allofbeer.com/2017/11/14/the-great-dying-happiness-comes-on-day-five/

from All of Beer https://allofbeer.wordpress.com/2017/11/14/the-great-dying-happiness-comes-on-day-five/

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